The nature, origin and physicochemical controls of hydrothermal Mo-Bi mineralization in the Cadillac deposit, Quebec, Canada

Abstract

Mo-Bi mineralization occurs in subvertical and subhorizontal quartz-muscovite-± K-feldspar veins surrounded by early albitic and later K-feldspathic alteration halos in monzogranite of the Archean Preissac pluton, Abitibi region, Quebec, Canada. Molybdenite is intergrown with muscovite in the veins or associated with K-feldspar in the alteration halos. Mineralized veins contain five main types of fluid inclusions: aqueous liquid and liquid-vapor inclusions, aqueous carbonic liquid-liquid-vapor inclusions, carbonic liquid and vapor inclusions, halite-bearing aqueous liquid and liquid-vapor inclusions, trapped mineral-bearing aqueous liquid and liquid-vapor inclusions. The carbonic solid in frozen carbonic and aqueous-carbonic inclusions melts in most cases at −56.7 ± 0.1 °C indicating that the carbonic fluid consists largely of CO2. All aqueous inclusion types and the aqueous phase in carbonic inclusions have low initial melting temperatures (≥70 °C), requiring the presence of salts other than NaCl. Leachate analyses show that the bulk fluid contains variable proportions of Na, K, Ca, Cl, and traces of Mg and Li. The following solids were identified in the fluid inclusions by SEM-EDS analysis: halite, calcite, muscovite, millerite (NiS), barite and antarcticite (CaCl2 · 6H2O). All are interpreted to be trapped phases except halite which is a daughter mineral, and antarcticite which formed during sample preparation (freezing). Aqueous inclusions homogenize to liquid at temperatures between 75 °C and 400 °C; the mode is 375 °C. Aqueous-carbonic inclusions homogenize to liquid or vapor between 210 °C and 400 °C. Halite-bearing aqueous inclusions homogenize by halite dissolution at approximately 170 °C. Aqueous inclusions containing trapped solids exhibit liquid-vapor homogenization at temperatures similar to those of halite-bearing aqueous inclusions. Temperatures of vein formation, based on oxygen isotopic fractionation between quartz and muscovite, range from 342 °C to 584 °C. The corresponding oxygen isotope composition of the aqueous fluid in equilibrium with these minerals ranges from 1.2 to 5.5 per mil with a mean of 3.9 per mil, suggesting that the liquid had a significant meteoric component. Isochores for aqueous fluid inclusions intersect the modal isotopic isotherm of 425 °C at pressures between 590 and 1900 bar. A model is proposed in which molybdenite was deposited owing to decreasing temperature and/or pressure from CO2-bearing, moderate to high salinity fluids of mixed magmatic-meteoric origin that were in equilibrium with K-feldspar and muscovite. These fluids resulted from the degassing of a monzogranitic magma and evolved through interaction with volcanic (komatiitic) and sedimentary country rocks.