Professional Documents
Culture Documents
VOL.94 September
1999 No. 6
AgeConstraints
onJerrittCanyonand
OtherCarlin-Type
GoldDeposits in theWesternUnitedStates.-
Relationship
to Mid-Tertiary
Extension
andMagmatism
A. H. HOFSTRA,
• L. W. $NEE, R. O. RYE, H. W. FOLGER,
U.S.Geological
Sur•ey,FederalCenter,Box25046,Denver,Colorado
80225
J. D. PHINISEY,
R. j. LORANGER,A. R. DAHL,
AngloGold,*
Elko,Nevada89801
C. W. NAESER, H. j. STEIN,
•
U.S.Geological
Suruey,
NationalCenter,12201Sunrise
ValleyDr.,Reston,
Virginia22092
AND M. LEWCHUK • • •
Department
of Geology,
University
of Windsor,
Windsor,
Ontario,CanadaN9B3P4
Abstract
Corresponding
author:
email,ahofstra@helios.cr.
usgs.gov
•Formerly:
Independence
MiningCompany, Inc.
•Presentaddress:
Departmentof EarthResources,
ColoradoStateUniversity,
FortCollins,
Colorado80523.
•Present address:
School
of GeologyandGeophysics,University
of Oklahoma,
100E. BoydSt.,Ste.810,Norman,OK 73019.
Vol 94, 1999,pp. 769-802
0361-0128/99/2085/769-34
$6.00 769
770 HOFSTRA ET AL.
for mostCarlin-type
deposits.Independentsupport for this continentalshelf along the Roberts Mountainsthrust
interpretation
comesfromtheverylow8DH•2O valuesof hy- (Robertset al., 1958). In the Independence Range,the
drothermalfluidsthatreflectextrememid-Tertiaryclimate Roberts Mountains allochthon(ValmyGroup)formsa grossly
conditions.
Theevidence suggeststhatCarlin-type
depositsnorthwest-dipping holnoclinalstack,aproximately
1.9 km in
formed soon after the onset of extension and calc-alkaline thickness(Watkins and Browne, 1989), that was folded and
magmatism in thelateEocene,a timethathappened to co- brokenbythrustfaultsduringitsemplacement (Milleret al.,
incidewith unusallycoolclimates.Resolution of the age 1984).Severalimbricatethrustsandsouth-verging foldsare
questionallowsdiscussionof the relationship
betweenCar- presentin miogeoclinal rocksbelowthe RobertsMountains
lin-typedepositsandthe Tertiarytectonicevolution of the thrust(Daly et al., 1991)that probablyformedduringthe
Cordillera. Antler orogeny.The RobertsMountainsallochthonshead
sediment eastinto a fore-deepbasin,westinto a marginal
TectonicHistory basin,andwaseventually overlainby Mississippianto Per-
It is important to reviewthetectonic historyof theJerritt mianshelfdeposits; the "overlapsequence" of Robertset al.
Canyon districtandsurrounding region(Fig.2) to providea (1958).In areaswithinabout30kmof theJerrittCanyon dis-
framework withinwhichto evaluate the geochronologic re- trict,the overlapsequence records upliftandsubsidence re-
suitsandbecause manyotherCarlin-type deposits occurin lated to the Late Mississippian to Middle Pennsylvanian
similarsettings.Following LateProterozoicriftinganddevel- Humboldtorogeny (Ketner,1977),whichwasapproximately
opmentof a trailingcontinental margin,thewesternmargin coeval withconvergent tectonics
thatproduced theAncestral
of NorthAmerica wasaffected by severalepisodes of con- RockyMountainsfarthereast.The RobertsMountainal-
tractional deformation (Fig.2). Extensionaldeformation has lochthon andoverlapsequence weresubsequently overiden
affectedthe regionsincethe lateEocene.Magmatism was by eugeoclinal rocksof the Golcondaallochthon due to ac-
mostintense in theLateJurassic, LateCretaceous, andmid- cretionof an islandarc duringthe Late PermianandEarly
Tertiary; theagesfavored forCarlin-typedeposits (Fig.2). TriassicSonomaorogeny(Miller et al., 1984).About8 km
Passive marginsedimentation wasinterrupted bythe Late northof theJerrittCanyondistrict,the Golconda allochthon
Devonianto Early Mississippian Antlerorogeny, wheneu- is representedby the Schoonover sequence thatformsa -7-
geoclinalsiliciclasticrockswere thrusteastwardonto the kin-thickhomoclinal stackof imbricatethrustplatesthat
strikenortheast and dip steeplynorthwest(Miller et al.,
1984).
Beginningin the Late Triassic,the westernmarginof
Deformation North America became the site of semicontinuous east-di-
rectedsubduction(Speedet al., 1988)andformation of the
Cordilleranorogenicbelt. In the continentalforeland,
episodesof thin-skinnedcontractional deformation(e.g.,
ElkoandSevierorogenies, Fig. 2) werelocallyfollowed,or
accompanied, by extensionalfaulting, magmatism,and
• E o o '• :• o• metamorphism (Bartonet al., 1988;Bartonand Hanson,
1989; Thorman et al., 1990, 1991). It is not clear to what ex-
tent the JerrittCanyondistrictwasaffectedby thesecon-
d d tractionalevents,althoughnorth- to northeast-striking
foldsarepresentthatmayhaveformedduringoneor both
of theseevents(Daly et al., 1991).Althoughthereare no
D M •P P Tr J K T Mesozoic plutonsin the district,all of the Paleozoicsedi-
ß
mentaryrocksxvereaffectedby regionallow-grademeta-
morphismthat convertedorganicmatter to microcrys-
Mafic • Felsic ---- • tallinegraphiteandalteredconodonts to colorindicesof 4
o
to 5 (Hofstra, 1994). During the Paleoceneand early
._E
Magmatism ., Eocene,the JerrittCanyondistrictwasin a part of the
Cordillerathat lackedappreciable magmatism, and con-
tractionaldeformationwas mainlyin areasfarther east
Favored Ages ß ß ß ß (Christiansen and Yeats, 1992). Beginningin the late
Eocene,the JerrittCanyondistrictand surrounding areas
400 300 200 100 0 wereaffectedby calc-alkaline magmatism andextensional
deformation thatwereroughlysynchronous with evolution
Ma
of the Ruby Mountains metamorphic core complex farther
east(Dalyet al., 1991).Sincethe late Miocene,the region
FIG. 2. Majorepisodes of deformationand magmatism in northern hasbeenaffectedby widespread normalfaultingand bi-
Nevada andnorthwestUtah•vithfavoredagesforCarlin-type
deposits.The modalbasalt-rhyolite volcanism characteristic of the Basin
Jurassic
andCretaceousages
forCarlin-typedeposits
arebasedonmicas sep-
aratedfrommineralizedsedimentaryandigneous rocks.Themid-Tertiary andRangeprovince. The JerrittCanyondistrictis located
agefor the deposits
is basedprimarilyon crosscutting with in the Independence
relationships Mountains,a north-trendingrange
datedigneousrocks. boundedby alluvialvalleysthatis typicalof the province.
772 HOFSTRA ET AL.
116000'00 ß
Mill Site
Legend
v volcanic rocks
v
/ Western facies
l--41
•22'30" Roberts Mountains
Formation
Hanson Creek
Formation
Eureka Quartzite
PogonipGroup
Contact
Anticline
Syncline
Thrust fault
High-angle fault
v N
Pie
Creek
volcanic rocks o • 2 3 4 5Km
I
o
i i
i
i i i
2
! I i
$ Miles
A A'
3000
m •"•'•
'•'- •': "... .. \\•_
•)), .•••..•-3000 m
FIC.3. Geologic
mapandcross section
oftheJerrittCanyon
district.
Westernfacies
(WF)refersto theLowerOrdovi-
cianSnowCanyonFormation
oftheValmyGroupwhichcomprises theRobertsMountainsallochthon.
LowerOrdovicianto
MiddleDevonianmiogeoclinal
sedimentaryrocks
areexposedinwindows through
theRoberts Mountainsallochthon.
Gold
deposits-prospects
arehosted
in theRobertsMountainsandHanson CreekFormationsandareindicatedbytheblackcir-
cles:A -- Alchem,BB = Burnsbasin,CM = CaliforniaMountain,DS = DASH, M = Mahala,MC = MarlboroCanyon,MiC
= Mill Creek,MM = Murraymine,NGH = NorthGenerator Hill,PC = PieCreek,PS= PattaniSprings,
SC-- SavalCanyon,
SpC= Spaghetti
Creek,ST = SteerCanyon,
WC = Winters Creek,WGH = WestGenerator
Hill,WP = Waterpipe
Canyon,
WW = WrightWindow.
Adapted fromDalyet al.(1991).
AGECONSTRAINTS:
]ERRITTCANYON
& OTHERCARLIN-TYPE
GOLDDEPOSITS,
U.S. 773
E.F.L.
lOO
Roberts
Mountains
Fm.
Disconformity
2OO
Unit 1
Unit 2
Hanson Creek
3OO Fm.
Unit 3
Unit 4
4oo Unit 5
Eureka
Quartzite
7oo
Pogonip
Group
9OO
? ? ? ?
Concealed
FIC.4. Stratigraphic
section
for miogeoelinal
rocksthathostgoldorein theJerrittCanyon
district.Strataaffected
by
thrustfaultbreccias,
collapse
breccias,
jasperoids,
andrefractory
goldorearealsoindicated.
E.F.L.= Eastern FaciesLime-
stone.
Middle Devonian limestone called the "Eastern Facies Lime- Mioceneto Holocene sequenceof fluvialandlacustrinesed-
stone."Nearlyall of the goldhasbeenproduced fromthe imentaryrocksthatwereshedoff the nearbyrangesduring
RobertsMountains andHansonCreekFormations (Fig.4), BasinandRangeuplift(Coats,1987).Theonlyvolcanic rocks
althoughtheotherrockunitsarelocallymineralized. fromthissequence thathavebeenstudiedin anydetailare
The flanksof the Independence Rangearecovered by a thosecropping outonthe eastsideof therange(Fig.3). The
continental
sequence of Eoceneto Miocenefluvialandlacus- Mill Sitevolcanic
complex consistsof a basaldaeiteash-flow
trinesedimentaryrocksandvolcanic rocks(Fig.3) thatblan- tuff and andesitieto daeitie lavas,domes,breeeias,and tuffs
ketedtherangepriorto BasinandRangefaulting in themid- eruptedfromlocalvents(Pansze, 1992a).The PieCreekvol-
dle Miocene.In the valleyson either side of the eaniesconsistof rhyoliteto rhyodaeite
ash-flowtuff, flows,
Independence range,theserocksare overlainby a late andsmalldomes eruptedfromlocalcenters (Pansze,
1992b).
774 H¸FSTRA ET AL.
All of the rocksin the Mill Sitevolcanic complexareuni- areavailable in Hofstra(1994),Phinisey (1995),andPhinisey
formlyfreshandunaltered; nofavorable traceelementshave et al. (1996).Thebriefdescriptions thatfolloxv establish their
been detected (Pansze, 1992a). The volcanic rocks in Pie relationship to goldmineralization andprovidea basisfor in-
Creekare freshand unalteredexceptfor scattered occur- terpretation of thegeoehronologie results.
rencesof quartzveins,silicification, and argillicalteration Andesite dikesandoccasionally sillsarepresentandknown
alonga northeast-trending faultbetweenthe volcanics and to be mineralized in mostof the golddeposits in the south-
the SnowCanyonFormation. A fewsamples of thevolcanics westhalfof the district(Graeie,New Deep,WestGenerator
wereweaklyanomalous in arsenic (20-40ppm)butcontained Hill, Saval,Burns Basin,Mill Creek, SpaghettiCreek,
no gold(Pansze, 1992b).The volcanicrocksin the district MASH,andWaterpipe Canyon deposits) butareabsent from
wererelatively unaffected by the hydrothermal system that mostofthedeposits in thenortheast partofthedistrict(Marl-
produced thegolddeposits. boroCanyon,NorthGenerator Hill, Alehem,PattaniSprings,
andWintersCreekdeposits; Fig. 3). Severalandesitedikes
Ore deposits areexposed in the BurnsBasindepositandin placesareore
Thegolddeposits arehosted in miogeoclinal carbonate and grade.Individualandesite dikescanbe tracedintermittently
clastic rocksexposed in windows through theallochthon (Fig. alongstrikefor morethana kilometer. Theyareusually near
3). The deposits arehighlyirregular in shapebut arehosted vertical(___20 ø)andmanycutacross foldsandthrustfaults,in-
primarilyin carbonaceous andpyritic,laminatedcalcareouseludingthe RobertsMountainsthrust.Andesitedikesare
siltstoneof the RobertsMountainsFormationand argilla- commonly porphyritie withplagioelase, amphibole, biotite,or
ceous,dolomitic limestonesof the Hanson Creek Formation augitephenoerysts in a feltedmatrixofplagioelase withsmall
(Fig4). Theirdistribution iscontrolled byintersections of fa- amounts of augite,olivine,biotite,andilmenite.Although the
vorablelithologies with a complex arrayof structures. High- primarymineralogy and geochemistry of thesedikesshow
angleeast-northeast-, northeast-, andnorthwest-striking nor- theyhavebasaltic compositions, thefieldterm"andesite" has
mal faultsare the majorore controls,althoughfoldsand beenretainedto distinguish themfromthe youngerbasalt
thrustfaultsalsoinfluence thedistribution of ore.The high- dikes.
estgradesandlargestdeposits occurwheredoselyspaced Three differentalterationassemblages havebeenrecog-
high-angle faultsintersect foldsandthrustfaultsin favorable nizedin theandesitc dikesthatformedduringthreeseparate
lithologies. events:(1) a latemagmatic or deutericalteration assemblage
Mostof the goldis produced fromrelatively unweatheredconsisting of barianK feldsparovergrowths on plagiodase,
blackearbonaeeous pyriticrefractory ores,with lesserpro- withminorbiotite,apatite,andtraceamounts of sulfides and
duetionfromweathered tan andbuff oxidized (formerlyre- girtinsite; (o.)sericiticalteration of feldspars with minorcar-
fraetory)ore,andfromjasperoid ores.In thesedeposits the bonateandtracesof sulfides; and(3) argillicalteration ofpre-
oresarerefractory because goldis enclosed withinironsul- existingsilicates with sulfidation of iron-bearing minerals.
fide minerals and/or because the carbonaceous matter robs The barianK feldsparassemblage hasbeenrecognized in
goldfromcyanide solutions. Thehigh-grade refractory oresin nearlyeveryunmineralized andesitc dikethathasbeensam-
the districtareusuallydeearbonated, sulfidized, andlocally pledbutismoreprominent in somedikesandlessprominent
containrealgarand/ororpimentin openspaces(Hofstra, in others.Sericiticalterationis nearlyubiquitous in the an-
1994).The silieifieation thatproduced jasperoid, whichmay desitcdikes,variesconsiderably in intensity, anddoesnot
or maynotbeore,andthedecarbonation andsulfidation that haveanyrecognized spatialcorrelation to knowngoldde-
produced refractory orearethe majormanifestations of the posits.Thereis no clearzonalrelationship bet•veen the in-
hydrothermal system. Jasperolds arebestdeveloped in or ad- tensityof sericiticalteration andthebarianK feldspar assem-
jacentto cherrylithologies of the HansonCreekFormation blage.Argillicalterationand sulfidation is onlypresentin
(unit1 andattheunit3-4contact, Fig.4). Refractory oresare dikeslocated in goldorezones. At theselocations, theyareal-
bestdeveloped in unit 3 limestones, in the RobertsMoun- teredto an assemblage of quartz,kaolinitc,leucoxene, and
tainsFormation(Fig.4), andlocallyin igneous dikes. sulfides.
Mamasite andlesseramounts of arsenian pyritepre-
Intrusions
dominate in strongly mineralized andesitc dikes,whereasar-
senopyrite ispredominant in lowergradebutstillstrongly al-
The Paleozoic sedimentary rocksin the districtarecutby tered samples.Quartz-realgar-marcasite _ calciteveinlets
three different sets of dikes. The dikes that have been occurlocallyin strongly mineralized dikes.Someof thevein-
mapped aresmallandverywidelyscattered. Threetypeshave lets also contain trace amountsof cinnabar,tetrahedrite, na-
beenrecognized: (1) nmnerous small,1- to 6-m-thick,N 40ø tivearsenic,andbotryoidalintergrowths
of antimonial
spha-
to 70øW-strikingandesitc dikesandsills,(2) severalsmall, lerite and an unidentifiedZn-Sb-T1-Assulfide (Phinisey,
<5-m-thick, variablyorientedbasalticdikesandsills,and(3)
twoquartzmonzonite dikeseachabout20 m thickthatstrike Basaltdikesarethe onlyotherigneous rocksknownto be
N 50øE.In the BumsBasinpit, a northwest-trending an- mineralized.
Althoughtheywerefirstexposed by miningin
desiredike is crosscut by an east-northeast-trendingbasalt theWestGenerator Hill pit (Fig.5), theyhavealsobeenen-
dike.Whereandesitc or basaltdikesoccurwithinlargerore counteredin the BurnsBasin,Saval-Steer Canyon,andNew
zonesin sedimentary hostrockstheyareargillically altered, Deepdeposits (Fig.3). Basaltdikesaregenerally lessthan5
sulfidized,and locallycontainore-gradegold.The quartz m in widthandtypicallyare discontinuous, branch,change
monzonite dikes do not occur in ore zones and are barren of strike(northwest to east-northeast), or locallybecomesills.
gold.Detaileddescriptions andchemical analyses ofthedikes Contacts withsurrounding hostrocksaresharpandusually
AGECONSTRAINTS:
JERRITT
CANYON
& OTHER
CARLIN-TYPE
GOLDDEPOSITS,
U.S. T75
2426000
realgar,
marcasite, andnativearsenic
arealsopresent (Fig.7).
Clastsof argillized
andsulfidizedbasaltoccurin silicified
so-
lutioncollapsebreccias(Fig.5).
500 ft.
Osc AllofthebasaltdikeslackthebarianK feldspar assemblage
and sericitic alteration common in andesitc dikes. For exam-
ple,at theintersection betweenbasaltandandesitc dikesin
: ,
Fxc.6. Photomicrographs
oftextural
features
observed
inbarren(A-D)andmineralized
(E-H) basalt
dikesfromtheWest
GeneratorHilldeposit
under crossed
polars
(exceptforF,which isunderreflected
light)A. Phenocrysts
ofpyroxeneand
olivine
(serpentinized)
ingroundmass ofplagioclase.
B.Glomeroporphyriticpyroxene.C. Serpentinized
olivine
phenocryst.
D. Serpentinized
skeletal
olivine
phenocryst.
E. Opaque ironsulfides
atformersites
ofpyroxene andolivine.
Plagiodase
in
thegroundmasshasbeenreplacedbyquartz
andkaolinitc.F.Glomeroporphyritic
pyroxenereplaced
bypyrite.G.Olivine
phenocryst
replaced
byironsulfides.
H. Skeletal
olivine
phenocrystreplaced
byquartz andironsulfides.
1000000
Constant
AI s•
1000001
Constant
AI,
K,
Fe,
]
Ti 62 % MassDecrease
AI/•
F?K/¾'.•' J.
100000. 35%MassDecrease
• S•g Ca
100001
ppm1000J Sb
As Ti,• •'•J
I P•/•/
10000
? Ti•,/•/•e
Altered • Hg mml A B.•a,•l• 1000•
Limestone • Au ß ?lNi- ,•.r.B/•a•ll 1'
• J90-2-1
1001Tm•ll
Se
ppm
Altered lOO• Not
Anal•ed
•VJ•
ß Lt/ - Dolo.
J90-5-1
Siltst.
u/gn
, lO• • Li• •r
/ •/c[ r
1-
O.Ol Const•
nt
Mass 0.1-
o.ool 0.01 /
• ,,,,,-1
Con•nt
Ma•
, ,,,,,,,i r ' ''""1 ........ I ........ I ........ I ........ I ........
B
ppm ,- ppm
Unaltered Limestone Unaltered Dolomitic Siltstone
J90-2-4 J90-5-4
lOOOOOO:
1000000
1
AI203J
Constant AI203 s
100000Constant
TiO2& Ai203l
] 54%MassDecrease
/ I •ø2•/il I 100000.32
Yo
o
Mass
Decrease
T TI02 Fe203
,oooo.
! t tl
= •ooo• • • I• •/•t•ol!,j[• I
E• lOO
o.• 10
• 1
0.1 0.1-
Fro.8. Isocondiagrams
shoxving typicalmassfluxassociated
xvithalteration
andmineradization in theJerrittCanyon
dis-
trier.A. Limestone
fromunit3 of the HansonCreekFormation, NorthGenerator Hill deposit.
B. Dolomitiesiltstone
from
theRoberts Mountains
Formation, •VestGenerator Hill deposit.
C. BasaltdikesfromtheWestGenerator Hill deposit.
D.
Andesitc dikefromtheDASHdeposit. In thesediagramsthechemical composition ofleastalteredrock(xaxis)isplotted
againstthechemical compositionof moreintensely
alteredrocks(y axis).If therexverenofluxof elementsin or outof the
rockduring alteration,
thedatawouldplotalong thelineofconstantmass.Theisoeon isa linedefinedbytheimmobile com-
ponents in thesample thatcorrespondsto zeroconcentration
change. Theposition oftheisoeons in A-D indicatesthatal-
terationwasassociated withmass losses
of62to 32percent. Gainsorlosses ofindMdual mobilecomponents canbedeter-
minedbyinspection; components thatplotabovetheisoeon areintroduced, components thatplotonorneartheisoeon are
immobile, andcomponents thatplotbelowtheisoeon aredepleted.Seetextforfurtherdescription.
778 HOFSTRAET AL.
TABLE
1. Summary
of Geochronologic
Results
forIgneous
andSedimentary
Rocks
fromJerrittCanyon
Sample Elev Mineral Plateau
date Totalgasdate(Ma)Source
3
no. Northing
• Easting• (ft) Unit Rocktype (sizefraction) Method
2 (Ma) IsochronDate (Ma)
69NC41 2373700 392840 6,706 Tv (PieCr.) Rhyodacite tuff Biotite K-Ar 40.7 ñ 1.2 1
88MGI-52 2431160 401200 6,960 Tv (Millsite) Dacite tuff Biotite K-Ar 43.1 ñ 1.7 2
MSV91-4 2418750 403040 7,600 Tv (Millsite) Andesitcflow Bioitite 40Ar/39Ar 41.6 ñ 0.1 41.5 ñ 0.1 2
88MGI-54 2429750 408500 6,500 Tv (Millsite) Andesitcflow Hornblende K-Ar 41.1 ñ 2.2 2
J88-41 2429750 408500 6,500 Tv (Millsite) Andesitcflow Hornblende 40Ar/39Ar 40.1 ñ 0.1 40.1 ñ 0.2 2
j88-41 2429750 408500 6,500 Tv (Millsite) Andesitcflow Biotite 40Ar/3SAr 40.3 ñ 0.2 41.0 ñ 0.2 2
j88-3 2424870 382900 7,200 Tbi Basaltdike Plagioclase 40Ar/3SAr 40.8 ñ 0.1 42.1 ñ 0.2 2
j90-1 2424870 382900 7 120 Tbi Altered basalt ¾Vholerock 40Ar/3SAr No plateau 85.9ñ 4.8 2
88MGI-18 2390400 378800 7 880 Tmi Monzonite dike Hornblende K-Ar 39.9 ñ 2.3 2
Smith Cn 2390400 378800 7 880 Tmi Monzonite dike Hornblende 40Ar/3Sr 39.2 ñ 0.1 39.1 _+ 0.2 2
Smith Cn 2390400 378800 7 880 Tmi Monzonite dike Biotite 40Ar/39Ar No plateau 48.9 ñ 0.2 2
Smith Cn 2390400 378800 7 880 Tmi Monzonite dike Zeolite 40Ar/3Sr 43.7 ñ 2.6 50.2 ñ 2.5 2
88MGI-15 2407648 390495 7 784 Mai Andesitc dike Biotite K-Ar 321 ñ 11 2
88MGI-150 2407648 390495 7 784 Mai Andesitc dike ¾Vhole rock K-Ar 259 ñ 10 2
88MGI16 2424168 381658 7 203 Mai Andesitc sill ¾Vhole rock K-Ar 308 ñ 13 2
JGS-74 2415500 374750 6 250 Mai Andesitc
dike Amphibole
1 4øAr/3•Ar 321.8 ñ 0.54 324.5 _+ 3.0 2
JGS-74 2415500 374750 6 250 Mai Andesitc
dike Amphibole
2 4øAr/Sør 319.0 ñ 0.54 322.4 _+ 3.0 2
JGS-74 2415500 374750 6 250 Mai Andesitc dike •Vhole rock 4øAr/S0r No plateau 186.2ñ 0.3 2
88MGI-1 2406929 389212 7 817 Mai Andesitc dike •Vhole rock 40Ar/SSr No plateau 195.5ñ 0.3 2
EMAH2-355 2405666 402878 7,044 Mai Alteredandesitc 20-40/xfraction 40Ar/SSAr No plateau 140.2ñ 3.3 2
EMAH2-355 2405666 402878 7,044 Mai Alteredandesitc <20/z sericite 4OAr/39Ar No plateau 129.4ñ 0.2 2
GR50A-648 2421000 383000 6,200 Mai Altered andesitc Sericite K-Ar 118 ñ 3 3
1NevadaCoordinate
System,Eastzonetranverse
mercator
projection
.240Ar/aOAr
analyses
byLarrySnee(USGS),K/Aranalyses
byKrueger Enterprises,
Inc.forIndependence
MiningCo.Inc.,andFission
trackanalyses
by
CharlesNaeser(USGS)
3Sources
ofisotopic
dates:
1 = McKeeet al.(1976),2 = Hofstra
(1994),3 = Phinisey
(1995),4 = Folgeret al.(1996)
4Apparentagemaximum,
nota trueplateau
K/Atand4øAr/SaAr
datesonigneous
rocks exhibited
weakpropylitic
alteration
(J88-3).The-80 to +100
meshfraction
ofthissample wastreatedfirstwith10percent
The volcanicrocks,quartzmonzonitedikes,and basalt HC1 to remove calcite and then with bromoform to remove
dikesprovideevidence for episodicmagmatic activityin the pyroxene phenocrysts. The resulting separateconsistedpri-
district between 43.1and39.2Ma (Table1, Fig.9). Samples marilyof plagioclase andyieldeda concordant agespectra of
of biotite and hornblende from the basal dacite tuff and an- 40.8 _ 0.1 Ma (Fig. 10) thatis interpreted
to be the ageof
desitcflowsin theMill Sitevolcanic complex yielddatesbe- dikeintrusion. The othersample(J90-1)wasargillically al-
tween 43.1 and 40.1 Ma and are similar to a 40.7 Ma date on teredandmineralized andconsisted predominantlyofquartz,
biotitefroma rhyodacite tuffin thePieCreekarea.Twosam- kaolinitc, andironsulfides. An untreated whole-rock sample
plesfroma basaltdikein theWestGenerator Hill pit were ofthismaterial didnotyielda usefulagespectrum because of
dated.Onesample wasunmineralized andbarrenofgoldbut itsverylowpotassium contentandapparent incorporationof
AGECONSTRAINTS:
JERRITT
CANYON
& OTHER
CARLIN-TYPE
GOLDDEPOSITS,
U.S. 779
i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i
hbb•
MillSiteVolcanics
hbo Quartz Monzonite Dikes
pl Basalt Dikes
• dike
T j 40-20p
w.r. emplacement
•o Andesite
0
•-
v
Dikes
/ .w.r. sericitic
alteration
ß w.r.
• w.r.
• w.r.
i•1 bt
u• ß amp
o
Q.
(D
•M1mica ore,'1 arren
•.5-•.•,
1-0.5p
2-1,
• Sil.-Dev.
'0
0
Roberts
Mountains
Fm.
•'• 5-2,
40-20,
20-5,
<0.1
r5 2M1 mica
ore,89g/t•
•
barren
0.5-0
2,1p
•-0i5•
Ord.-Sil.HansonCreekFm. • 20,5p
5,2•
• 40;2;0,
barren ', -- ', Eureka
Zircon mineralizer•rren
I = ',McAfee
-- ', McAfee
Ordovician Quartzites 10mfrom
ore: ',Snow Canvon Fm
barren', _- ',Snow Cany6n Fm.
30
T I K
100 300 1000 3000
Age (Ma)
Fie.9. Sulnmarygeochronologydiagram ofK/Ar,4øAr/39Ar,
andfission
trackdates fromtheJerrittCallyon
district
(con-
structed
frominformationinTable1). Logarithlnic
timescalewithPrecambrian,
periodandepoch boundaries shmvnatthe
baseofthediagram. Errorbarsshown are___l•r,
except forfission
trackdateswheretheyare___2•r.
Manysymbols arewider
thantheerrorbars.Goldmineralization
isyoungerthanthe40.8Mabasalt dikes(thinvertical
line).Seetextforfurtherde-
scription.
125
excess4øAr(Fig. 10).The totalgasdateof 85.9Ma for this
sampleis meaningless. Hornblendefromthe quartzmon-
zonitedikein SmithCreek(88MGI-18)yieldeda plateau 100 -
• • J90-1,
WR
dateof 39.'2_+0.1Ma. Biotiteandzeoliteyieldedlessprecise
I •gArgilli
Alter
dates.
75-
ThelateEoceneageoftheserocksisconsistentwiththere-
gionalpatternofmid-Tertiary
magmatie activity.
In particular,
thequartzmonzonitedikes(39.2Ma) arenearlythesameage 50-
astheMountNevaplutonandassociated dikes(39.3-9.5Ma)
in the Tuscarora Mountains 15 km to the west and the 39.3
25-
Ma dikein thePost-Betze deposit50 kmto thesouthwest in
Carlintrend(Henryand Boden,1997).The plateaudate
fromthebasaltdikesisveryimportant becauseit constrains
the ageof goldmineralization
to lessthan40.8Ma andpro- I 20I 30I 40I 50I 60I ;0 80I 90I 100
10
and a K/Ar date on biotite (321 Ma) indicate that the dikes theycanbe resetfromtheir crystallizationagesby diffusive
wereemplaced in latestMississippian
time.Theyoungest dates lossofradiogenic
4øArprovidedthetemperature andduration
on sericite(2M1 mica)provideevidence for a previously un- of hydrothermalactivitywere sufficient(Fig. 11). Alterna-
recognized hydrothermal eventat about129to 118Ma thatis tively,themicascanbe resetif theyarecompletely recrystal-
unrelatedto goldmineralization. The two sericitesamples lized.To testwhetherthe micasin mineralized sedimentary
datedwere from alteredand mineralizeddikes(EMAH-2-355, rocks canprovidefurtherconstraintsontheageof goldmin-
3 ppmAuandGR-50A-648, 72.5ppmAu).The129to 118Ma eralization, pairsof mineralizedandunmineralized samples
dates on the relict sericite from these dikes show that it was rel- were collected from the Hanson Creek and Roberts Moun-
atively unaffected bythelessthan40.8Magold-depositing hy- tainsFormations anddatedisotopically by conventional K/Ar
drothermal event. The intermediate dates of 259 to 140 Ma on and4øAr/39Ar methods (Folgeret al.,1996).Twosetsof sam-
whole-rock samples reflectthe relativeproportion of igneous pleswerecollected,onefroman orezonein theWestGen-
andhydrothermal minerals in thesamples andtheamountof erator Hill deposithostedin dolomiticsiltstones of the
argonlost from igneousmineralsduringsubsequent hy- Roberts Mountains Formation and one from an ore zone in
drothermal events.Thenearvertical dip(ñ20ø)andnorthwest the NorthGenerator Hill pit hostedin unit3 limestones of
strikeof the andesitc dikesindicatethat the leastprincipal the HansonCreekFormation. At bothsamplesitesthe rocks
stress direction was oriented northeast-southwest in Late Mis- wereunoxidized andfresh,withno evidence of weathering.
sissippian time. The andesitcdikescut across the Roberts Thechemical composition of thesamples wasdetermined to
Mountains thrust,thrustfaultsin lowerplaterocks, andlarge measure gainsandlosses of elements associated withalter-
south-verging east-west-trending folds.Thesestructures are, ationandmineralization in eachformation (Fig8A-B).The
therefore, older than the andesitcdikes and must have been moststrongly mineralized samples of theRoberts Mountains
produced bysouth-directed compression duringtheLateDe- and HansonCreek Formations contained17 and 89 ppm
vonianto EarlyMississippian Antlerorogeny or LateMissis- gold,respectively.Clayminerals fromthebarrenandminer-
sippian Humboldt orogeny. Boththeandesitc andbasalt dikes alizedsampleswereseparated intoseveral differentsizefrac-
arederivedfrommantlemagmas (Wilson,1989),suggestingtions(40-20, 20-5, 5-2, 2-1, 1-0.5, 0.5-0.1, and<0.1tzm)for
thatthedistrict isunderlain byolddeeppenetrating structures.mineralcharacterization(XRD andSEM) andisotopic dating
(Table 1).
K/Atand4øAt/SOAr
datesonmicasin sedimentaryrocks Giventhatthegolddeposits areyounger thanthe40.8Ma
Argondiffusion micas(Robbins, basaltdikes,thesesamples
modelsfor fine-grained areideallysuitedtointerpretK/Ar
1972;Dodson,
1973;HamesandBowring, that and 4øAr/39Ar
1994)suggest isotopedateson micasfrom a Carlin-type
10,000,000 .............
E lO,OOO
1,000
100
10
0.1 0.5 I 2
Grmn raze (prn)
1
150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500
Blocking Temperature, øC
FIC.11. Argondiffusion models showingtheclosure temperatureforvarious
grainsizesof whitemicaasa function
of
heatingduration.Depending onthediffusionparametersusedin themodel(Robbins= thinlinesor HamesandBowring =
boldlines),theclosure temperaturesforanygivengrainsizedifferbyabout50øC.Bothmodels suggest
thatonlyveryfine
grainedmicas lessthan0.5g in sizearelikelyto beresetatthetemperature
(-200ø+ 50øC)andduration (104-106yr?)of
hydrothermal activity
in Carlin-type
deposits.
Adapted fromHamesandBowring (1994).
AGECONSTRAINTS:
JERRITT
CANYON
& OTHER
CARLIN-TYPE
GOLDDEPOSITS,
U.S. 781
'X Year
yr?)of hydrothermal activity wasinsufficient to resettheiso- lO
topicclockofpreexisting fine-grained micasbydiffusive loss 1
ofradiogenic 4øAt.
Fine-grained micasfromotherCarlin-type
depositsare,therefore, unlikely to yieldtheageof goldmin- 900 600 300 200 lOO
eralization,unlessthe systemwasmuchhotterandlonger
livedsuchthatpreexisting micaswerecompletely reset,or Temperature, øC
unlessa generation ofmicacanbeidentified thatisclearlyco- FIC.12. Arrhenius
diagram forfission trackannealing in apatite
andzir-
geneticwiththeoresthatcanbe separated foranalysis. con.Thefigureshows thatfairlyhightemperatures arerequiredto anneal
fission
tracks
in zirconbutthatapatiteislikelyto beresetatthetemperature
Fission
trackgeochronology (-200ø ñ 50øC)andduration(104- 106yr?)of hydrothermal activityin Car-
lin-typedeposits. Thegeologic trackretention
forzircon
isonlyanestimate
Thefissiontrackmethodispotentially
usefulforbothther- basedonpublished dataandis notaswellestablished asthatforapatite.
mometryand geochronology becausecommonaccessoryAdapted fromHarrison et al.(1979),Naeser (1980),Balet al.(1983),Hur-
mineralsin sedimentary
andigneousrockscanbe dated(e.g., ford (1986), and Naeseret al. (1989).
782 HOFSTRA ET AL.
tracks in zircon.Although
theduration ofhydrothermal
activ- IsotopicDatesfromOtherCadin-typeDeposits
ity is uncertain(104-106yr?),the Precambrian
fission
track
dates are consistent with fluid inclusion studies which show PublishedK/At, 4øAr/•9Ar,
and fissiontrack datesfrom a va-
thattemperatures above 200øC wereonlyattained in thecen- rietyof sample mediaarepresented in theAppendix andil-
ter of majororezones(Hofstra,1994).Although the fission lustrated in Figure13.The materialdatedincludes igneous
trackmethodwasnotsuccessful at JerrittCanyon,it hasthe rocksandminerals (feldspar, hornblende, biotite,zircon,ap-
potential tobesuccessful in deposits thatcontain moreabun- atite),hydrothermal micasseparated from alteredigneous
dantandlargerapatites. Zirconislesslikelyto be reset,ex- rocks,hydrothermal adularia,detritalzircon,apatite,and
ceptpossibly in thecenterof orezones. fine-grained micasseparated fromalteredsedimentary rocks,
Re-Os method
and supergene alunites. The range of dates obtained from
eachtypeof sample materialis quitelargeandvaried(Fig.
TheRe-Osisotope methodof datingwasutilizedin anat- 13).
tempttodateore-stage sulfidesdirectly andtodetermine the An olderlimitontheageof mineralization isprovided by
sourceof osmimnin theseminerals(Stein et al., 1994). Sam- theCambrian toTriassic ageofmarinesedimentary rocks that
plesincluded pyrite,marcasite, andarsenopyrite separatedhost the deposits(Thormanand Christensen, 1991). A
frompervasively argillizedandsulfidized basaltandandesitc younger limitisprovided by14Ma ashbedsin alluvium that
dikesandorpiment andrealgatfromveins.Thedisseminatedblanket theTwinCreeks deposit (McGuire,1995)and14.4to
sulfides in the sedimentary hostrockswereavoided because 15.1 Ma ashbedsin the lacustrineCarlin Formation (Fleck et
ore-stage pyriteisnearlyimpossible to separate fromthedia- al., 1998)thatblanketseveral deposits in theCarlintrend.A
genetic pyritein thesamples. TheRe-Osresults didnotyield younger limitisalsoprovided bysupergene alunites fromsev-
a meaningful isochron, dueto theverylowconcentrations of eraldeposits thatyieldK/Atdatesbetween 3.6and30.0Ma
Re(lowppb)andOs(lowppt)andassociated largeanalytical(Fig.13A).Thealunitedatesindicate thatatleastoneCarlin-
uncertainties, but do showthat thesemineralshavepro- typedeposit (GoldQuarry)wasnearthesurface andin the
nouncedcrustalOs isotopesignatures. Calculated initial zoneof weathering in the Oligocene andthatseveral others
187Os/•88Os usinganageof 40 Ma yieldvaluesof 0.9 to 3.6. were exhumed in Miocene and Pliocene time.
Theinitial18;Os/lSSOs reflectwidelyaccepted values foraver- Theageconstraints provided bycrosscutting relationships
agecrustal rockandtherefore suggest thattheorefluidstra- betweengoldmineralization and datedigneous rocksare
versedthe thicksedimentary sequences in thisregion.The olderthan30 Ma (Fig.13B).Whereas K/Ator4øAr/•9Ar dates
Re concentrations in orpimentandrealgatareexceptionallyonigneous rockshavethepotential to be themostreliable,
low(nearblanklevel)demonstrating theirusefulness for ini- thisis onlytrue if the crosscutting relationships with gold
tial •S7Os/•S8Os information. Although theRe concentrations mineralization are carefullydocumented. The smallsizeof
in ironsulfides arehigherthanorpiment andrealgat, theRe- the gold,subtlealteration, anddifferences in the relative
Os resultsfrom the andesitcdikesindicatethat theycon- suseptibility of different igneous rocksto alteration canoften
tainedsmallamounts of preexisting magmatic or hydrother- makeassessment ofwhetheranigneous rockispre-or post-
mal sulfides. Basedon thisexperience, open-space filling oredifficult.Forexample, theinterpretation thatthe39.3Ma
minerals thatareentirelyfreeof contamination frompreex- (HenryandBoden,1997)biotite-feldspar porphyry dikeat
istingsulfides arepreferredoverreplacement minerals. Al- the Betzedepositis youngerthangoldmineralization (Are-
though ironsulfides typicallyoccurasreplacements inCarlin- hartet al, 1993)hasbeenquestioned byIlchik(1995)andre-
type deposits, somecontainopen-space fillingpyriteor centlyshown tobeerroneous byEmsbo etal.(1996).Further
marcasite thatmayyieldmeaningful dates. examination of thedikebyEmsbo,in theoriginal drillhole,
adjacent drillholes,andwhereit is nowexposed in thepit,
Palcomagnetic method showthatit is onlyalteredandmineralized ondikemargins
Thepalcomagnetic method wasemployed in anattempt to orwhereit ishighlyfractured. In areas wherethedikeisnot
dategoldmineralization because it hasbeenusedsuccessfully fracturedit can appearto be postore.A similarbiotite-
in several carbonate-hosted Mississippi Valley-type Zn-Pbde- feldspar porphyry dikedatedat 40.3Ma (Clodeet al.,1997)
posits (e.g.,Symons, et al.,1995).Giventhecomplex defor- ispresent in theGenesis andBlueStardeposits thatisweakly
mational history oftheIndependence Mountains, theapproachmineralized in high-grade ore zones(Williams, 1997).The
was to determine how much the characteristic remanence nearby Beastdeposit contains a rhyolite dikedatedat37.3Ma
magnetization of the oresdiverges fromthatof the -40 Ma that contains ore-grade gold(Resselet al., 1998).Igneous
igneous rocksin the samestructural blocks.Fouroriented rocksfromthe BattleMountain-Eureka beltbracketthe age
handsamples werecollected at eachof 37 sitesthroughoutofCarlin-type golddeposits (Cortez, TonkinSprings, Roberts
the district.Regrettably, the remanent magnetization of the Creek Mountain)to betweenabout38 and 34 Ma (Maher et
oresamples wasessentially niland,therefore, furtherworkto al., 1993).JerrittCanyonis younger thana setof 40.8Ma
characterize the characteristic remanence magnetization di- basaltdikes.At Alligator Ridge,silicification prestoned to be
rections of samples fromthe volcanic rocksandunaltered relatedto the golddeposits isyounger thanearlyto middle
dikeswashalted.Theorefluidsapparently replaced anypre- Eocenefluvialand lacustrine sedimentary rocksbut older
exisiting magnetic minerals withnonmagnetic minerals con- than a tuff dated at 35.3 Ma (Nutt, 1996; Nutt and
sistent with the evidence for sulfidation of host-rock iron in Good, 1998).Windfalland Rustlerare youngerthanrhyo-
thedeposits. Palcomagnetic methods are,therefore, unlikely dacitedikesand flowsdated at 36.8 Ma (Wilsonand Wilson,
to besuccessful in directlydatingCarlin-type golddeposits. 1986;Nolanetal.,1974).Mercurisyounger thanthe31.6Ma
AGECONSTRAINTS:
JERRITT
CANYON
& OTHER
CARLIN-TYPE
GOLDDEPOSITS,
U.S. 783
ene alunite
16
14
12 Pre-ore igneous rocks
10 igneous
8 rocks
6
4
B 2o
6 H,
Adula•
• Getcheil Mica-sedimentary
Mica-igneous •
2
Getcheil
Age (Ma)
FIc. 13. Summary histogramsof isotopic
datesfromCarlin-typedeposits
basedondatain theAppendix. A. K/Arand
4øAr/•9Ar
datesfromsupergene alunite.B. K/Ar and4øAr/•9Ar
datesfrompre- andpostoreigneous rocks.C. K/Arand
4øAr/•9Ar
datesonhydrothermal
adularia andwhitemicafromigneous andsedimentary
hostrocks.
D. Fissiontrackdateson
hydrothermalapatite
andapatiteandzirconfrompre-andpostore igneousandsedimentary
rocks.
Theisotopic datessug-
gestthatmostCarlin-type
depositsformedwithintheagerangeindicated bythestippled
pattern.Seetextforfurtherde-
scription.
^ l--.- -• ^ o
-• 04
I t•
,• I
I I
LO Le'• 0
>
•z
o •
>-,,_so Z g z .=•
AGECONSTRAINTS:
JERRITT
CANYON
& OTHER
CARLIN-TYPE
GOLDDEPOSITS,
U.S. 787
-2O
Ice House World • Green House World
-30 -
Maximum Glacial ,'
-40-
TøC Buildup in Antarctica ,'
-50-
,• ' Surface Water Temperature,'
-60-
!
2 • 15
• -100Supergene
Alunites,
NV Age
ix./ ', 'I
NV
Samples ! ,i
closeto _: ;Overprinted
38Ma dikes iby50 Ma
!ihydrothermal
ilactivityin
Constraints ::thedistrict
5
TøC
Age, Ma
FIe. 14, 8D-agecurveshowing thehydrogen isotopecomposition
ofmeteoricwateroverthepast170m.y.(constructed
frominformationin Table3). In mostrepects the8D-agecurveagreeswithwhatweknowaboutpalcoclimates (seetextfor
furtherdescription).
The8D-agecurvealsocorresponds wellwiththepalcotemperature
curvesforsurface
waterandbot-
tomwaterin thePacific
ocean(dashed lines)estimated
fromoxygenisotopeanalyses
ofcalcareousmicrofossils
(Douglas and
Woodruff,1981).Theunusually loxv8D•,2ovalues fromCarlin-type
depositssuggest
thattheyformednearthelowin the
curvewhentheclimate wasunusually cool.The8D•o values fromCarlin-typedeposits
agreewiththe42to30 Ma agecon-
straints
onthedeposits(boldrectangle).
9
relateswith a rapidshiftin &zsOvalues,maximum glacial
buildups in Antarctica,
andthe maximum dropin sealevel
worldwide (Prothero,1994).Although
therearemanyuncer- Kaolinite
fiD, %0
•Dne of Carlin-type
deposits
F•c. 15. Histogram
of8Dn.2ovaluesformeteodewaterorefluidsfrom10
The •D•o valuesof hydrothermal
fluidsfrom10 widely Carlin-type golddeposits
correctedto41øNlat (Table3). The8Dn•ovalues
separatedCarlin-type
deposits
weremeasured directly
using forkaolinite
werecalculated
usinga temperature
of200øCandthehydrogen
fluid inclusionsor calculatedfrom the •D of kaolinitc(Table isotope
fractionation
factorof GilgandSheppard(1996).Results
fromfluid
3). As above,the •D•.zo valueswere correctedto 41øNlat to inclusions arein goodagreement withdatafromhypogenekaolinires.
All
conform thatthe Carlin-type
with the •D-agecurve.Figure15 shows 8Dn.2o
deposits
values
studied
showevidenceofmeteoric
<-110permil.Thelargerangeof8Dn.2o
waterwithverylow
values
fromGetehell
•DH.zovaluesof fluid inclusions
aresimilarto thosecalculated andTwinCreeks(arrow)indicatethata deep-sourced
magmatie
or meta-
forhypogenekaolinitc.
Thecorrected •D•.zovalues(-111to morphicfluidwasalsopresentin theGetehelltrend(Clineet al.,1996,1997;
-157%o)areunusuallylowforthelatitudeofthedepositsand Groff, 1996).
788 HOFSTRA ET AL.
55-43 Ma 43-34 Ma
Allu•tial D•clining
basins Challis
Belt
magrhatic
0
cer•erso
Alkalic
magmatic
Lakes
centers
MagmaticGapø I
Eroding
upland
Alluvial blasins
34-21 Ma
Arehart, G.B., Foland, K.A., Naeser,C.¾V.,and Kesler,S.E., 1993, 4øAr/39Ar, Cline,J.S.,Hofstra,A.H., Rye,R.O.,andLandis,G.P.,1996,Stableisotope
K/Ar,andfissiontrackgeochronology disseminated andfluidinclusion
of sediment-hosted evidence
for a deep-sourced
orefluidat the Getcheil,
golddeposits
atPost-Betze,
Carlintrend,northeastern ECONOMIC Carlin-type
Nevada: golddeposit,Nevada: in Brown,P.E.andHagemann, S.G.,
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AGECONSTRAINTS:
JERRITT
CANYON
& OTHERCARLIN-TYPE
GOLDDEPOSITS,
U.S. 793
•o z z •o •o z
•z6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 • • •
796 HOFSTRA ET AL.
AGECONSTRAINTS:
]ERRITT
CANYON
& OTHER
CARLIN-TYPE
GOLDDEPOSITS,
U.$. 797
798 HOFSTRA ET AL.
AGECONSTRAINTS..
JERRITTCANYON• OTHERCARLIN-TYPE
GOLDDEPOSITS,U.S. 799
800 HOFSTtlA ET AL.
AGECONSTRAINTS:
JERRITT
CANYON
& OTHERCARLIN-TYPE
GOLDDEPOSITS,
U.S. 801
80'2 HOFSTRA ET AL.