Three-dimensional oxygen isotope imaging of convective fluid flow around the Big Bonanza, Comstock lode mining district, Nevada
Economic Geology
By: R.E. Criss, M.J. Singleton, and D. E. Champion
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Abstract
Oxygen isotope analyses of propylitized andesites from the Con Virginia and California mines allow construction of a detailed, three-dimensional image of the isotopic surfaces produced by the convective fluid flows that deposited the famous Big Bonanza orebody. On a set of intersecting maps and sections, the δ18O isopleths clearly show the intricate and conformable relationship of the orebody to a deep, ~500 m gyre of meteoric-hydrothermal fluid that circulated along and above the Comstock fault, near the contact of the Davidson Granodiorite. The core of this gyre (δ18O = 0 to 3.8‰) encompasses the bonanza and is almost totally surrounded by rocks having much lower δ18O values (–1.0 to –4.4‰). This deep gyre may represent a convective longitudinal roll superimposed on a large unicellular meteoric-hydrothermal system, producing a complex flow field with both radial and longitudinal components that is consistent with experimentally observed patterns of fluid convection in permeable media.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Three-dimensional oxygen isotope imaging of convective fluid flow around the Big Bonanza, Comstock lode mining district, Nevada |
| Series title | Economic Geology |
| DOI | 10.2113/gsecongeo.95.1.131 |
| Volume | 95 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Year Published | 2000 |
| Language | English |
| Description | 12 p. |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | Economic Geology |
| First page | 131 |
| Last page | 142 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Nevada |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |