Origin of CO 2 -rich fluid inclusions in synorogenic veins from the Eastern Mount Isa Fold Belt, NW Queensland, and their implications for mineralization

Abstract

Synorogenic veins from the Proterozoic Eastern Mount Isa Fold Belt contain three different types of fluid inclusions: CO2-rich, aqueous two-phase and rare multiphase. Inclusions of CO2 without a visible H2O phase are particularly common. The close association of CO2-rich inclusions with aqueous two-phase, and possibly multiphase inclusions suggests that phase separation of low- to -moderate salinity CO2-rich hydrothermal fluids led to the selective entrapment of the CO2. Microthermometric results indicate that CO2-rich inclusions homogenize between –15.5 and +29.9 °C which corresponds to densities of 0.99 to 0.60 g.cm−3. The homogenization temperatures of the associated aqueous two-phase inclusions are 127–397 °C, with salinities of 0.5 to 18.1 wt.% NaCl equivalent. The rarely observed multiphase inclusions homogenize between 250 and 350 °C, and have salinities ranging from 34.6 to 41.5 wt.% NaCl equivalent. Evidence used to support the presence of fluid immiscibility in this study is mainly derived from observations of coexisting H2O-rich and CO2-rich inclusions in groups and along the same trail. In addition, these two presumably unmixed fluids are also found on adjacent fractures where monophase CO2-rich inclusions are closely related to H2O-rich inclusions. Similar CO2-rich inclusions are widespread in mineral deposits in this region, which are simply metal-enriched synorogenic veins. Therefore, we argue that fluid immiscibility caused volatile species such as CO2 and H2S to be lost from liquid, thus triggering ore deposition by increasing the fluid pH and decreasing the availability of complexing ligands.