How Precisely Can the Temperature of a Fluid Event be Constrained Using Fluid Inclusions?

András Fall,Robert J Bodnar

doi:10.5382/econgeo.2018.4614

András Fall, Robert J Bodnar

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5382/econgeo.2018.4614

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Abstract

U.S. National Science Foundation [EAR 1624589]; Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences Division, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy [DE-FG02-03ER15430]; Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas Austin

Highlights

Thermometric data obtained from fluid inclusions is a standard tool for constraining the pressure-temperature-composition (PTX) history of fluids associated with geologic processes spanning the sedimentary to metamorphic to igneous environments (Roedder, 1984)
While all environments show some fluid inclusion assemblages (FIAs) in which all the fluid inclusions homogenize at essentially the same temperature, we propose that the median range in Th reported here represents a reasonable and achievable constraint on the uncertainty associated with the temperature of a fluid event in the environments examined
These processes that are inferred from the fluid evolution shown in Figure 4 could be further investigated by comparison with other samples and by using additional geochemical data, such as variations in stable isotopic composition, which might confirm the relative proportions of magmatic versus meteoric water during the different stages of sphalerite growth represented by the FIAs

Summary

Introduction

Thermometric data obtained from fluid inclusions is a standard tool for constraining the pressure-temperature-composition (PTX) history of fluids associated with geologic processes spanning the sedimentary to metamorphic to igneous environments (Roedder, 1984). A rigorous methodology for the collection of fluid inclusion data has been developed over the years (Touret, 1981; Roedder, 1984; Diamond, 1990; Goldstein and Reynolds, 1994; Fonarev et al, 1998; Van den Kerkhof and Hein, 2001; Bodnar, 2003a; Goldstein, 2003), acceptable or achievable ranges in microthermometric data. The most important requirement in a fluid inclusion study is to collect data that are related to the question or problem being addressed. Data should be collected following a protocol that allows one to place data into a temporal and spatial context and to assess the quality of the data. The FIA framework (Goldstein and Reynolds, 1994) meets these requirements and allows one to test whether the fluid inclusions.

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