Cenozoic Pb–Zn–Ag mineralization in the Western Alps

Metallogenic models of polyphase mountain belts critically rely on robust geochronology. We combine petrology with Rb–Sr and U–Th–Pb in situ geochronology, paired at thin-section scale, to date mineralization in deformed hydrothermal Pb–Zn–Ag deposits along an east-west transect in the Western Alps,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geology (Boulder) 2024-05, Vol.52 (5), p.352-356
Main Authors: Bertauts, Maxime, Vezinet, Adrien, Janots, Emilie, Rossi, Magali, Duhamel-Achin, Isabelle, Lach, Philippe, Lanari, Pierre
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cenozoic
Cenozoic Era
Crystallization
Environmental Sciences
Galena
Gangue
Geochronology
Geochronometry
Kinematics
Lead
Metallogenesis
Mineral deposits
Mineralization
Orogeny
Petrology
Shear zone
Silver
Tectonics
Zinc
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Summary:Metallogenic models of polyphase mountain belts critically rely on robust geochronology. We combine petrology with Rb–Sr and U–Th–Pb in situ geochronology, paired at thin-section scale, to date mineralization in deformed hydrothermal Pb–Zn–Ag deposits along an east-west transect in the Western Alps, France. The Pb–Zn–Ag veins occur in shear zones with kinematic structures consistent with the mylonitized host rocks. The ore consists mainly of galena in a quartz-phengite gangue. The paragenesis can be related to hydrothermal crystallization during periods of variable strain. Both isotope systems yield only Cenozoic ages (ca. 35 Ma and 15–20 Ma) without any pre-Alpine inheritance, clearly indicating orogenic mineralization. The metallogenic model proposed here includes significant fluid circulation along major tectonic contacts between basement and sedimentary cover during Alpine convergence.
ISSN:0091-7613
1943-2682
DOI:10.1130/G51818.1