@article{gledocs_11858_10731,
author = {Höhn, Stefan and Frimmel, Hartwig E. and Price, Westley},
title = {Syn-metamorphic sulfidation of the Gamsberg zinc deposit, South Africa},
year = {2021-09-06},
volume = {115},
number = {6},
pages = {709-728},
publisher = {Springer Vienna},
publisher = {},

abstract = {The Mesoproterozoic Aggeneys-Gamsberg ore district, South Africa, is one of the world´s largest sulfidic base metal concentrations and well-known as a prime example of Broken Hill-type base metal deposits, traditionally interpreted as metamorphosed SEDEX deposits. Within this district, the Gamsberg deposit stands out for its huge size and strongly Zn-dominated ore ( >14 Mt contained Zn). New electron microprobe analyses and element abundance maps of sulfides and silicates point to fluid-driven sulfidation during retrograde metamorphism. Differences in the chemistry of sulfide inclusions within zoned garnet grains reflect different degrees of interaction of sulfides with high metal/sulfur-ratio with a sulfur-rich metamorphic fluid. Independent evidence of sulfidation during retrograde metamorphism comes from graphic-textured sulfide aggregates that previously have been interpreted as quenched sulfidic melts, replacement of pyrrhotite by pyrite along micro-fractures, and sulfides in phyllic alteration zones. Limited availability of fluid under retrograde conditions caused locally different degrees of segregation of Fe-rich sphalerite into Zn-rich sphalerite and pyrite, and thus considerable heterogeneity in sphalerite chemistry. The invoked sulfur-rich metamorphic fluids would have been able to sulfidize base metal-rich zones in the whole deposit and thus camouflage a potential pre-metamorphic oxidation. These findings support the recently established hypothesis of a pre-Klondikean weathering-induced oxidation event and challenge the traditional explanation of Broken Hill-type deposits as merely metamorphosed SEDEX deposits. Instead, we suggest that the massive sulfide deposits experienced a complex history, starting with initial SEDEX-type mineralization, followed by near-surface oxidation with spatial metal separation, and then sulfidation of this oxidized ore during medium- to high-grade metamorphism.},
note = { \url {http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/10731}},
}