Isotope geochemistry of Mississippi Valley Type stratabound F-Ba-(Pb-Zn) ores of Hammam Zriba (Province of Zaghouan, NE Tunisia)

Abstract

The Hammam Zriba F-Ba-(Zn-Pb) ore deposit in the Province of Zaghouan in north-eastern Tunisia is hosted in the shallow dipping unconformity between green marls with chalky biomicritic limestones of Campanian age and Uppermost Jurassic carbonates. The mineralization consists mainly of fluorite and barite with minor sphalerite and galena. Calcite is the main gangue mineral. Two types of Zn-Pb sulfides can be distinguished according to the geometry of the orebodies, i.e., lenticular or stratiform ores, intra-karstic fillings. Sulfur isotope compositions (δ34S) of barite range from 14.7 to 17.2‰, indicating that sulfur was derived from Triassic evaporites and the higher ones (19–25.7‰) are due to reservoir effect associated with thermo-chemical sulfate reduction (TSR) or bacterial sulfate reduction (BSR) under conditions of restricted sulfate supply. δ34S of galena and sphalerite in lenticluar and intra-karstic orebodies range from −13.8 to 2.1‰, and could be explained by multiple sources of reduced sulfur: Triassic evaporites, diagenetic primary sulfides as well as sulfur from organic matter. Both TSR and BSR as potential contributors of sulfur are needed for sulfide precipitation. Lead isotope compositions of galena exhibit very similar: 206Pb/204Pb (18.858–18.876), 207Pb/204Pb (15.667–15.684), and 208Pb/204Pb (38.680–38.747) ratios, and plot between the upper crust and orogene average growth curves, reflecting involvement of a mixing and subsequent homogenization of Pb isotopic compositions of different source Pb reservoirs. The underlying Paleozoic basement rocks were the plausible source of metals. The economic ore (fluorite F1) mineralization was formed during the Eocene-Miocene compressional phase. During this deformation phase, deep-seated basinal brines have been circulated as hydrothermal fluids that have interacted with the Paleozoic rocks, thereby leaching metals, and have been channelized through subsidiary faults associated with the major regional NE–SW-trending deep-seated Zaghouan-Ressas fault. Hydrothermal fluids then migrated to the site of deposition where they got mixed with shallow, cooler, metal-depleted, TSR- and BSR-derived sulfur-rich fluids, which triggered the precipitation of the ores.