Magmatic-hydrothermal fluids in the Pahtohavare Cu-Au deposit in greenstone at Kiruna, Sweden

Abstract

The Proterozoic Pahtohavare Cu-Au deposit is located in the greenstone belt near Kiruna, northern Sweden. The greenstone consists of mafic volcanic rocks with pillow lavas, mafic sills and albitized rocks, including tuffites, black schists and mafic sills, together with carbonates and mineralized zones. Mineralization occurs as impregnations, epigenetic quartz-rich breccias and fracture fillings with pyrite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite and gold in a complex tectonic environment. Fluid inclusions indicate an early formation of quartz and pyrite at temperatures initially near 500°C and a pressure of 2–2.4 kbar from a supersaturated aqueous solution of magmatic origin. In addition to halite cubes, daughter minerals of sylvite, calcite, hematite, graphite and two unknown phases are found. The main stage of chalcopyrite and gold deposition is characterized by aqueous fluids of variable salinity (up to 30 eq. wt.% NaCl including CaCl2), at temperatures below 350°C and pressures between 1 and 2 kbar. A minor CO2 phase with some N, accompanies this stage. Gold was transported as a chloride complex which destabilized due to an increase in pH (as a consequence of the CO2 loss) as well as cooling and dilution of the solution. The ore deposition occurred as a result of mixing with a low salinity aqueous solution during tectonic fracturing with pressure fluctuations and CO2 unmixing. Late oxidation of ores was caused by low to moderately saline (3 to 13 eq. wt.% NaCl) low temperature aqueous solutions.