Ore-fluid evolution at the Sasa Pb-Zn skarn deposit, Republic of Macedonia

Strmić Palinkas, Sabina and Tasev, Goran and Serafimovski, Todor and Palinkas, Ladislav and Šmajgl, Daniela and Peltekovski, Zlatko (2013) Ore-fluid evolution at the Sasa Pb-Zn skarn deposit, Republic of Macedonia. AusIMM New Zealand Branch Annual Conference 2013, 1 (1). pp. 487-494.

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Abstract

The Sasa Pb-Zn skarn deposit is located in the Serbo-Macedonian massif approximately 100 km east from
Skopje, Republic of Macedonia. Ore reserves are estimated at 10 million metric tons with 7.5% lead and zinc.
The deposit is hosted by the Lower Palaeozoic metamorphic complex composed of gneisses, marbles and
quartz-graphite schists. The mineralisation is spatially and temporary related to Tertiary calc-alkaline
magmatism. The volcanic rocks in the area are mostly quartz latite and andesite with K/Ar ages between 27 and
24 Ma.
The mineralisation is represented by skarn and hydrothermal minerals as two end-member associations. The
skarns occur in the form of replacement of marble, whereas the hydrothermal mineralisation appears as
replacements and as open-space fillings. The skarn association has characteristic zonal structure and contains
calc-silicate minerals (Fe-Mn-pyroxenes, Fe-Mn-pyroxenoids, garnets, ilvaite, epidote), magnetite, pyrite and
pyrrhotite. The hydrothermal association, which is superimposed onto the skarn assemblages, contains
argentiferous galena, sphalerite, pyrite and minor chalcopyrite. Carbonates and quartz are the most abundant
gangue minerals.
Fluid inclusion studies recognised three major stages of mineralisation: (1) Metasomatic formation of skarn
minerals during the prograde stage of mineralisation from saline and high-temperature fluid, probably of distal
magmatic origin. The absence of mineralised contacts between the magmatic and the host rocks as well as the
manganese rich mineralogy suggests metasomatism by infiltration of the mineralising fluids into the host rocks,
rather than mineralisation by diffusion-driven contact metasomatism. (2) Hydrothermal alteration of skarn
minerals (ilvaite, chlorite, magnetite, pyrrhotite, carbonates, quartz) followed by precipitation of ore and gangue
minerals resulted from the mixing of magmatic and meteoric fluids during the retrograde stage. (3) Deposition
of post-ore gangue minerals, mostly carbonates, from cooler and slightly diluted fluids.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: Natural sciences > Earth and related environmental sciences
Divisions: Faculty of Natural and Technical Sciences
Depositing User: Goran Tasev
Date Deposited: 15 Jan 2014 09:42
Last Modified: 15 Jan 2014 09:42
URI: https://eprints.ugd.edu.mk/id/eprint/8626

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