Mineral chemistry and in-situ U-Pb geochronology of altered pegmatite from the vicinity of the Strashimir Pb-Zn vein deposit

Abstract

The current study presents new mineralogical, geochemical and geochronological data for a pegmatite body hosted in gneisses and marbles from the vicinity of the Strashimir Pb-Zn vein deposit, Madan ore district, South Bulgaria. The mineral composition of the studied pegmatite is represented by oligoclase–andesine (An10.1–33.2) and albite (An0–7.6), which prevail over K-feldspar (Or87.9–92.4), and quartz. The established accessory minerals are allanite-(Ce), titanite, apatite and zircon. The pegmatite/marble contact is affected by later hydrothermal silicate-carbonate alteration without detected ore mineralization, despite the spatial proximity with the Strashimir Pb-Zn vein deposit. Epidote-group minerals in pegmatite are defined as members of the clinozoisite–epidote series. As a major constituent of the hydrothermal alteration zone, they are manifested in two well-distinguished generations along with chlorite, quartz and carbonates. The calculated temperature of chlorite mineralization yields T° of crystallization in the range of 223–266 °C. As a result of the hydrothermal fluid circulation, the accessory allanite-(Ce) is transformed to REE-rich epidote-clinozoisite, marked by depletion of REE and Fe and enrichment of Si, Al, and Ca. Due to the limited mobility of REE in fluids, after leaching these elements are incorporated in nearby crystallized epidotes. According to the occurrence, mineral association and chemical properties, three titanite populations are distinguished in the pegmatite. Two of them were in-situ dated by the LA-ICP-MS U-Pb method and reveal overlapping ages of 39.9±2.1 Ma and 39.5±2.2 Ma (39.3±1.2 Ma combining all titanite analyses). The ages are interpreted as titanite growth in a pegmatite body related to granitic melts in the Late Alpine high-metamorphic units (Madan Unit) of the Central Rhodopes. Hydrothermal fluids either did not affect the U-Pb isotope system of the titanites or were derived from the same fluid-rich melt.