Is the ancestral Yellowstone hotspot responsible for the Tertiary “Carlin” mineralization in the Great Basin of Nevada?

Abstract

Research Article| July 01, 1997 Is the ancestral Yellowstone hotspot responsible for the Tertiary “Carlin” mineralization in the Great Basin of Nevada? Gary L. Oppliger; Gary L. Oppliger 1Kennecott Exploration Inc., 961 Mately Lane, Suite 120, Reno, Nevada, 89502 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar J. Brendan Murphy; J. Brendan Murphy 2Department of Geology, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, B2G 2W5, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar George H. Brimhall, Jr George H. Brimhall, Jr 3Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Gary L. Oppliger 1Kennecott Exploration Inc., 961 Mately Lane, Suite 120, Reno, Nevada, 89502 J. Brendan Murphy 2Department of Geology, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, B2G 2W5, Canada George H. Brimhall, Jr 3Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1997) 25 (7): 627–630. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1997)025<0627:ITAYHR>2.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Gary L. Oppliger, J. Brendan Murphy, George H. Brimhall; Is the ancestral Yellowstone hotspot responsible for the Tertiary “Carlin” mineralization in the Great Basin of Nevada?. Geology 1997;; 25 (7): 627–630. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1997)025<0627:ITAYHR>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract We propose a genetic relationship between the 43–34 Ma magmatism, extensional tectonics, and gold mineralization event centered in the Great Basin of Nevada and the development of the ancestral Yellowstone hotspot. The model is compatible with Cenozoic regional tectonics and provides a plausible explanation of the spatial coincidence of the Eocene-Oligocene magmatic events and the Carlin-type gold deposits. These features are centered in the Battle Mountain region of the Great Basin, coincident with the inferred ca. 40–30 Ma position of the Yellowstone hotspot.The Yellowstone hotspot is probably a plume that ascended from the core-mantle boundary, a region thought to be anomalously rich in gold and in the moderately siderophile elements associated with gold deposits. As the hotspot was progressively overridden by the North American plate after ca. 60 Ma, a magmatically quiescent period related to subhorizontal subduction gave way to the generation of ca. 43–34 Ma voluminous intracrustal melts and metamorphic devolatization as the hotspot broke though the subducted Farallon plate. Coeval crustal extension and convective circulation of hydrothermal fluids in the upper crust facilitated the exploitation of the structural and lithologic traps that characterize the classic Carlin-type deposits. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.