The Pogera Gold Mine - Magmatic Hydrothermal To Epithermal Evolution of An Alkalic-Type Precious Metal Deposit

Economic Geology
Vol. 88, 1993, pp. 1017-1052
The PorgeraGold Mine, PapuaNew Guinea:MagmaticHydrothermalto

EpithermalEvolutionof an Alkalic-typePreciousMetal Deposit
JEREMY
P. RICHARDS*
ANDROBERT
KERRICH
Departmentof Geological
Sciences,
University
of Saskatchewan,
Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan,
CanadaS7N OWO
Abstract
The PorgeraAu deposit,locatedin the highlandsof PapuaNew Guinea,containsproven

andprobablereservesof 51.5 millionmetrictonsat 0.23 oz Au/t. The depositisspatiallyand
temporallyassociated with a late Mioceneage (6.0 +_0.3 Ma) epizonalintrusivecomplex,
characterizedby gabbroicandporphyriticrocksof volatile-richalkalibasaltic,hawaiitic,to
mugeariticcomposition. MagmatismandmineralizationshortlyprecededearlyPliocenecol-
lision between the northeastAustralasiancontinentalmargin and an islandarc and were
probablyrelatedto changesin the tectonicconfigurationleadingup to that event.
The stocksand dikeswhich constitutethe Porgeraintrusivecomplexhaveexperienced
variabledegreesof propyliticalteration.Gold mineralizationpostdatesthis alterationand
occursin two main stages:(I) disseminated auriferouspyrite in zonesof pervasivephyllic
alteration,plusminornativegold(Auø)in associated basemetalsulfideveins,and(II) locally
abundantAuø and Au-Ag tellurideswith roscoelite,pyrite, and minor barite in banded,
vuggyquartzveinsandhydraulicbrecciasrelated to late normalfaulting.
Fluid inclusions
fromcalcite,apatite,andgarnetindicatethat propyliticalterationmostly
involvedrelativelydilute fluids(_<8wt % NaC1equiv)at temperaturesof up to '-•450øC, but
more salinefluids(up to 16.8 wt % NaC1equiv) were alsopresentlocally.The observation
that someinclusionsin calcitewere trappedunder near-criticalconditionsrestrictsfluid
pressuresto '--450 bars.Stableisotopecompositions of hydrothermalepidoteindicatethat
thesefluidswere dominantlyof ground-waterorigin,but the datado not enabledistinction
betweenseaor meteoricwaters.Highersalinityinclusions mayrecordthe presenceof resid-
ual magmaticfluids,and isotopiccompositions of disseminated pyrite from propylitically
alteredrocks(•ia4S -- 1.4-4.5%0)suggest that S wasof magmaticorigin.
Hypersalinefluid inclusions occurin minorquartzfromsamplesof intensestageI phyllic
alterationand indicatetrappingof a halite-saturated fluid at 200ø to 210øC, with '•32 wt
percentNaC1equiv.Calculated valuesof •i•80and•iDforfluidsassociated with phyllicalter-
ationrangefrom 9.1 to 10.4 per mil and-55 to -37 per mil, respectively,andoverlapthe
rangeof Porgeramagmaticwaterscalculatedfromigneoushornblendeandbiotite composi-
tions(•i•80
Ho = 7.9 to 9.3%0,•iDH2
o = -63 to -49%0).Isotopiccompositions
of stageI
disseminate'(]
pyrite(•ia4S
= 2.4-5.2%0)
aresimilar
tothose
frompropylitic
alteration.
Fluid inclusions
in sphaleriteandquartzfromstageI basemetalsulfideveinsarecharacter-
izedby moderatesalinities(9.5 +_1.8 wt % NaC1equiv,n = 142) andrelativelyhighhomoge-
nizationtemperatures(299ø +_33øC,n -- 274). An averageformationtemperatureof 325øC
isestimated
fortheseveins,assuming
trapping
at '-•450bars.The•i•sO•2
o valuecalculated
from a singlequartz sampleintergrownwith sphaleriteis 8.6 per mil and fallswithin the
rangeof Porgeramagmaticwaters.Isotopiccompositions of vein pyrite,sphalerite,andga-
lena(•348= 2.4-5.4%0)showa similarrangeto sulfidesfrompropyliticandphyllicalteration.
The •ilaCand•ilsOvaluesof late-stagevein Mn-Fe-Ca-Mg-carbonates rangefrom-7.1 to
-4.5 per mil and 14.8 to 18.3 per mil, respectively.These valuesare consistentwith a
magmatic
source
for C, but•i•sO•,o
values
of 4.8 to 8.3 permil calculated
at 200øCare
similarto valuesderivedfromlate vuggyquartzin the sameveins(2.7-6.1%0)andindicate
the involvementof groundwaters.
Homogenizationtemperaturesof fluid inclusionsfrom stageII quartz-roscoelite-Au veins
average146ø +_13øC (n = 519). Salinitiesfall into two populations,averaging4.3 ___0.4 (n --
119) and 7.8 ___
0.7 wt percentNaC1equiv (n = 439), andinclusionsdirectlyassociated with
roscoelite-Audepositiontypicallybelongto the higher salinitygroup. StageII veinsare
estimatedto haveformedat '-• 165øC,andtexturalandphysicochemical considerations sug-
gestthat flashingmayhaveoccurredduringthe initialstagesof veinrupture.Phasesepara-
tion mayhavebeentriggeredby fault-relatedseismicactivityandpromotedby the presence
of minorCO2in the orefluids.Stableisotopecompositions of thesefluidsindicatethe involve-
* Present
address:
Department
of Geology,
University
ofLeicester,
University
Road,Leicester
LE1 7RH,UnitedKingdom.
0361-0128/93/1470/1017-3654.00 1017
1018 RICHARDSAND KERRICH
mentofisotopically
exchanged
meteoric
ground
waters((•18OH20
= 2.0to5.4%0,
bDa•o= -62
to -34%0).The ba4S valuesof stageII pyriterangefrom-14.0 to -11.4 per mil,whereaslate
vuggybariteandanhydriteyieldvaluesof 22.2 and20.6 per mil, respectively. Thesedataare
interpretedto reflectpartialoxidationof a fluidwith bulk (•34S • 4 per mil.
Gold is suggested to havebeen transportedasa chloridecomplexin early magmatically
derivedhypersaline fluids,anddeposited asdisseminated auriferous pyriteduringcooling,as
a resultof sulfidationandsericitization reactionswith the maficigneouswall rocks.In con-
trast,Au wasprobablytransportedasa bisulfidecomplexin stageI and II veins,andwas
precipitated afterdepletionof reducedS in thesemoredilutefluidsthroughsulfidedeposi-
tion andphaseseparation,respectively.
Comparisons with othermagmatic-related ore-forming systems suggest thata key feature
of the PorgeraAu depositis its association with volatile-rich,mafic,alkalicmagmas, which
were emplacedat shallowcrustallevels.Similarities in processare notedwith calc-alkalic
porphyryCu deposits, but differencesin detail,suchasmetalinventoryandalterationand
mineralization styles,reflecta fundamental differencein magmatic affiliation.
StageII miner-
alizationat Porgerasharesmanycharacteristics with Au-Ag-Tevein-type,or alkalic-type,
deposits.In particular,similaritiesof magmatic association mayreflecta directlinkbetween
metallogenesis andlarge-scale geodynamic processes. Specifically,it is suggested that re-
gionsundergoingchanges in tectonicconfiguration (collision,subduction reversal)within a
broadlyconvergent framework,maybe suitableforgeneration of relativelysmallvolumesof
anomalous mantle-derivedmagmas.A relationshipto subductionactivityis thoughtto be
importantin generatingmeltswith relativelyhigh H20 contents.Rapid emplacementat
shallowcrustallevelsandexsolutionof an aqueousvolatilephasedistinguish thesesystems
fromtypicalgabbroic intrusionsandassociated orthomagmatic deposits, whereasthe mafic,
alkalicnatureof the parentalmagmas appears to correlatewith highAu/Curatiosin the ore,
anddistinguishes them fromcalc-alkalicporphyryCu deposits.
Introduction Ag (• 30 Moz), but economicrecoveryof thismetal

THE PorgeraAu depositin the highlandsof Papua hasnot been possible.The depositis spatiallyand
New Guinea(Fig. 1) is a well-preservedexampleof temporallyrelatedto an epizonal,mafic,alkalicin-
preciousmetal mineralizationassociated with vola- trusivecomplexand is comprisedof two main ore
tile-rich maficalkalicmagmatismin an active colli- zones, characterizedby different mineralization
sionzonetectonicsetting.Provenand probablere- stylesandparageneses.Relativelylow gradeore con-
serves amount to 51.5 million metric tons at 0.23 oz sistingof disseminated
auriferous
pyritein phyllical-
teration with associated base metal sulfide veins was
Au/t, and productionsince commissioning of the
minein 1990 hasexceeded1 millionouncesAu per formedduringearly,locallypervasivefluid activity
year. The mine alsocontainssubstantial
reservesof referred to here as stageI. In contrast,stageII ore
consistsof discrete,fault-related,vuggyquartz-ros-
coeliteveinsandhydrothermalbreccias,containing
abundantnative gold (Auø) and Au-Ag tellurides.
• i i i , ..•.:•..•.•.
ii,,i These veins crosscut the earlier disseminated zone
=====================================================================================================================
...... BIs Sem arck •
anddisplayonlyweakwall-rockalterationselvages.
K-Ar age estimatesof between5.1 and 6.1 Ma for
hydrothermal alterationassociated
with bothstages
:3
•':;:•:I•:::•::.:.:...•F
':':':+:'::::•!•;•hi:::::•:•::::..":::•:•:•:•:•:•:•:{:•:•:::-. of mineralization
0.3 Ma (2(r)for emplacement
are comparedwith an ageof 6.0 _
of the shallow-level
in-
:•:½•:;:•:•:;:•,•:I:•:
• ::::::::::::::::::::::
..................
..•..............................................
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
trusions(RichardsandMcDougall,1990).
•'•:;•
••::•::•:-?•?:':':+:.:.:?;.:..:.:
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::GonTinen•al .......................
:.:-:.;.:.:.:.:,:•::•. ß •
•lom•Solomon See WhereasstageI is reminiscentof porphyry-type
:::::::::::::::::::::::: .:.:.:.:::::.
ß • :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:::'.'.'.•.'",'::f
: platform
:.•.8_.• E3 • :;....,.,., ...............
................6:'"'"' ß...................................
"::M:E:•:E:•:E:•:E:•:E3E::::-.-. ore, exceptfor itshighAu/Curatioandthe apparent
lack of a potassicalterationzone, stageII veinsare
....... epithermalin appearance
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: and are characterizedby
enrichmentsof Au, Ag, Te, V, andlesserHg, Ba, Sb,
and As. On the basis of a detailed fluid inclusion and
stableisotopestudy,we describethe transitionin hy-
drothermalactivityrepresentedby thesecontrasting
3PRII/gl•oretypesanddiscuss therelationshipbetweenmetal-
logenesis,coevalmagmaticactivity,andlargerscale
FIG. 1. Sketchmap showingthe geographiclocationand tec- tectonicprocesses. This work buildson previously
tonicsettingof the PorgeraAu deposit. publishedinvestigations
ofthepetrology,geochemis-
PORGERA
AU DEPOSIT,PAPUANEWGUINEA 1019
try, and geochronology of the PorgeraAu deposit cordedto datein PapuaNew Guinea(Richards and
and associated intrusivecomplex(Sombroek,1985; Ledlie, 1993). However,followingthe mainperiod
Fleminget al., 1986; HandleyandBradshaw,1986; ofupliftanddeformation, extensivelatePlioceneand
Henry, 1988; Richards,1990a,b; Richardsand Quaternary calc-alkaline
to shoshonitic
volcanism oc-
McDougall,1990;Richards et al., 1990, 1991b)and curredin the highlandsto the southeast;
thisactivity
expands onthepreliminary fluidinclusion andstable mayhavebeencaused bylithospheric thickeningand
isotopedatapresentedby Richards(1992). delaminationof the orogen.
The PorgeraGold Deposit ThePorgeraintrusivecomplex
Regionalgeology Exposed intrusiverocksat Porgeraconsist of por-
phyriticto equigranular stocksand dikesranging
The tectonicsettingof the PorgeraAu deposithas from1 to 500 m in width,emplaced in poorlyconsoli-
beendescribedin detailelsewhere(e.g.,Fleminget dated carbonaceous mudstones and calcareous silt-
al., 1986;RichardsandMcDougall,1990) andonlya stonesof the CretaceousChim Formation (Fig. 3;
brief summary is givenhere.Porgerais locatedat an Davies, 1983; Fleming et al., 1986; Richards,
elevation of •2,500 m in mountainous terrain 1990a).Early maficintrusions containolivineand
formedduringearly Pliocenecollisionbetweenthe clinopyroxene phenocrysts setin a matrixof plagio-
northeastern marginof the Australasian plateandan clase,withinterstitial(oftenophitic)hornblende and
islandarclocatedonthe BismarckSeaplate.Thiscol- microphenocrysts of apatite and chromite.More
lisionfollowedthe eliminationof part of the Solomon evolvedintrusionsarecharacterized by abundant eu-
Sea microplateby double subductionto both the hedralhornblende,clinopyroxene, and plagioclase,
northeastandsouthwest beneaththe opposingconti- plusinterstitialbiotite,apatite,andmagnetite. Reac-
nent andislandarc.Resultantuplift anddeformation tionrelationships betweenclinopyroxene andhorn-
in the highlandsbeganat • 5 Ma (Hill andGleadow, blendeare rarelyobserved. Miaroliticcavitiesand
1989), but sloweruplift and minor seismicactivity pegmatitic lensesareabundant in thelargergabbroic
continueto the presentday. The Porgeraintrusive intrusions,and vesiclesoccurin smallerdikes.These
complexwasapparentlyemplacedimmediatelyprior textures,combinedwith the abundanceof euhedral
to thiseventat 6.0 _+0.3 Ma (Richardsand McDou- hornblendephenocrysts, indicatea relativelyhigh
gall,1990), andit hasbeenproposed thatmagmatism magmaticvolatile content during crystallization
wasrelatedto complexchanges in tectonicconfigura- (e.g., •3 wt % H20; Burnham,1979; Richards,
tion associated with double subduction and the onset 1990a).
of continent-islandarc collision (Richards et al., Hornfels formed by contactmetamorphism is
rarelyobserved,
but calc-silicate
assemblages
(gar-
Porgerais locatedon the continentalside of the net,epidote)occurlocallyin calcareous sedimentary
Stolle-Lagaipfault, whichmarksthe surfaceexpres- horizonsadjacentto someof the largerstocks.Heat
sion of the suture between the Australasian craton from the intrusionswasprobablydissipatedlargely
and accretedisland-arcterranes(Fig. 2). This struc- by ground-water convection, asindicatedby wide-
ture wasformedinitiallyduringmiddleto late Oligo- spreadpropyliticalteration in andaroundthe intru-
cene time when dockingof the Sepikterrane oc- sivecomplex. Theintrusionscommonly havespheroi-
curred,andwasprobablyreactivatedduringthelater dalshapes asobserved in planandcrosssectionsand
Miocene-Pliocene collision event. To the south of the rarelycrosscut
one another(Fleminget al., 1986;
fault, a fold and thrust belt was developedin the their figs. 3-6). These observations suggestthat
poorlyconsolidated Mesozoicmiogeoclinal sedimen- spacefor emplacement wasprovidedby ductilede-
tary sequences, and allochthonous displacementof formationof the weakcountryrocksratherthanby
overlyingTertiarylimestones hasbeensuggested by brittle fracturing.
Jenkins(1974). Despite extensivefaulting in the Classificationof the igneousrocksat Porgerahas
area, the Porgeraintrusivecomplex,locatedwithin beenthe subjectof somedebate,largelybecause of
Jurassic-Cretaceous sedimentaryrocks of the Om the lackof consistent terminologyfor the description
and Chim Formations,appearsto be autochthonous of hypabyssal, porphyriticrocks.Richards(1990a)
andlittle penetrativede•brmationrelatedto thistec- usedthe total alkali-silicadiagramof Le Baset al.
tonicactivityisobserved.It ispossiblethatthe intru- (1986)to classifytheintrusionsasa comagmatic suite
sionspinnedthrustingand deformationat this loca- of volatile-rich, porphyriticalkalibasaltsor gabbros,
tion. hawaiites,and mugearites, reflectingtheir Na-rich
With the exceptionof the Mount Kare intrusive nature and the abundance of hornblende. Rock and
complexandassociated Au depositlocated18 km to Finlayson (1990),on the otherhand,preferredde-
the southwestof Porgera(Fig. 2), no other igneous scriptionin termsof shoshonitic lamprophyres and
rocksof similarage and composition havebeen re- appinites.Richardset al. (1991a)arguedthat sucha
Mt.Kare Porgera LagalpFault Zone
No vertici]l el[iigg•riition
A B C
QUATERNARY
[-•.,
-:.....:::•_.•-:•]
.z_ IMBURU mudstone
(I.durass/•)
sand, gravel, mud, parfly volcanogenic
PORGERA • Mt KARE (/. Miocene)

alkali gabbroicE•porphyriticintrusions
• OMfm.(M-I.durassic)
carbonaceous siltstone
AURE gp.(M-I.Miocene) .'•:____•

'""'"'•"
.....
:.':'"
ß KOI-LANGE
sandstone(/.durassic)
volcanic • polymict sandstone
NIPAgp.(E.Oligocene-I.Miocene)
bioclastic • olgal limestone
•+F• STRICKLAND
granite
(I.Perrn/an)
MENDIgp. (/tl-/...E'ocene)
micritic limestone
J fault N
J reverse
fault
CHIM fm. (I.Cretaceous)
calcareous shale E• siltstone
km
IERU fm. (E.-I.Cretaceous) o 5 IO 15 20 25
silty sandstone • mudstone JPR/ee/92
I• . ,--I I I I I
FIG.2. Simplifiedgeologyof theareaaroundthePorgeraAu deposit;thelocationoftheMountKare

Audeposit isalsoshown(modified fromDavies,1983).Abbreviations:
E. -- Early,fm.= formation,
gp.=
group,L. -- Late,LFZ = Lagaipfaultzone,M. = Middle.
1020
PORGERA
AUDEPOSIT,
PAPUA
NEWGUINEA 1021
aeromognetic--
Porgera
anomaly
\ Intrusive
/t,
¾-- ......
/ ..............
,,zot,o
t • • i
•/' / Roamone
/
Fault
(RF)
Photo hneament
FIc. 3. Simplified
surface
geologyof thePorgera
intrusive
complex andassociated
Audeposit,show-
ing the locations
of majorintrusions
andfaults,andthe extentof economic Au mineralization.
The
Porgeragrid,basedonthe Australian
mapgrid,isusedfor reference;modifiedfromHenry(1988).
classificationwas inappropriatein that Na/K ratios pletionsof Ta, Nb, andTi in arcmagmas becomeun-
andhigh field strengthelementabundances, includ- stable.Conclusiveevidencefor the operationof such
ingTa andNb, werehighcomparedwith typicalsho- processes at Porgerais lacking,however,and other
shonites(e.g.,Morrison,1980), andthatfew samples mechanisms for the originof intraplate-typemagmas
displayedtrue lamprophyrictextures (criteria of in destructivemarginsettingshave recentlybeen
Streckeisen,1979). There is no doubt,however,that proposed(e.g.,RighterandCarmichael,1992).
the inherentqualitiesto whichRockandFinlayson's Althoughthe exactcauseofmagmatism isstillopen
(1990) classificationpoints,thoseof high alkali and to debate,the recentrecognitionof similarigneous
magmaticvolatilecontents,are distinctivefeaturesof rocks at Mount Kare demonstrates that this event was
the Porgeramagmas,andit is perhapstheseaspects not simplyan isolatedincident,and Richardsand
which should be stressed rather than the semantics of Ledlie (1993) havearguedthatalkalicplutonism be-
nomenclature. low the presentlyexposedsupracrustal sequences in
Richardset al. (1990) discussed the petrologleaf- the highlandsmay be considerably more extensive
finityof the Porgerasuiteandshowedthat the rocks thanis currentlyrecognized.
geochemically resemblethe productsof marieintra-
platemagmatism, despitetheir occurrence in a colli- Propyliticalterationof theintrusivecomplex
sionzonesetting.It wasnoted,however,thatthe sem- Propyliticalterationhasaffectedall of the exposed
blanceis not perfectandthat somecharacteristics of intrusiverocksto somedegreeandrangesin intensity
arcmagmas, suchashighA12Oa andrelativelylow Ti frompervasiveepidotization,chloritization,andcar-
concentrations, maybe discerned.In addition,it was bonatization,to weak chloritizationof the ground-
suggested that the highH20 contentof the magmas massandinfillingofvesicles andmiaroliticcavitiesby
mightreflecta distalsubductionzonecontributionto secondaryminerals.Highesttemperaturealteration
the mantlesourceregion.Basedona modelproposed assemblages include andradite garnet, actinolitic
by Ringwood(1990), Richardset al. (1990) sug- hornblende,sericite(replacingplagioclase), epidote,
gestedthatthe Porgeraalkalicmagmas werederived and calcite. Chlorite, prehnite, calcite, and pyrite,
fromback-arcasthenospheric sources in response to plusrare pumpellyite,adularia,anhydrite,and late
deep (•150 kin) melting of the subduetingslab, quartz, occur in lower temperatureassemblages.
underwhichconditions residualtitaniferousphases Propylitic alterationis thought to have resulted
thoughtto be responsiblefor the characteristicde- largelyfrom interactionbetweenthe coolingintru-
1022 RICHARDS AND KERRICH
sionsand local groundwaters (seebelow), but the the later high-gradeveins are strictly fault con-
widespreadoccurrenceofvesiclesandmiaroliticcavi- trolled.In particularthe latter veinsare closelyasso-
tiesindicatesthat a magmaticvolatilephasewasalso ciated with the Roamane fault, a late normal struc-
presentduringthe finalstagesof crystallization. ture which crosscuts the earlier ore zones and the
intrusivecomplex(Fig.3). Goldgradesandgrainsize
Gold mineralization
increasefrom stageI to stageII, reflectinga change
Disseminated Au oreoutcropping onMountWaru- from dispersedfluid flow to more localizedflow
wari (Fig. 3) wasdiscoveredin 1945, but it wasnot alongdiscretestructuralconduits.In addition,stage
until 1982 that drillingintersectedhigh-gradevein- II mineralizationis characterizedby higherAu/Sra-
hosted ore associated with the Roamane fault. tiosthanstageI (10:1 comparedwith 1:2 in dissemi-
The styleof Au mineralizationat Porgerahasbeen natedore;HandleyandBradshaw,1986), suggesting
describedin several previous publications(e.g., a fundamentalchangein fluid chemistrybetween
these two events.
Fleminget al., 1986; HandleyandBradshaw,1986;
Handleyand Henry, 1990• Richardset al., 1991b). AnalyticalMethods
The establishednomenclaturefor ore typesat Por-
geraisthatof Fleminget al. (1986) andHandleyand Electronmicroprobe analyses
Bradshaw (1986), but the nonalphabeticsequence of Compositional analysesof mineralswere carried
the overallparagenesis (typesC -* B, A, E -* D; Ta- out by wavelengthdispersivespectrometryusinga
ble 1) makesthis terminologyconfusing.We there- JEOLJXA-8600superprobe,operatedat 15 kV and
fore haveendeavoredto minimizeusageof thesela- with a Faradaycupcurrentof 10 nA. Standards con-
belsandrecognizeinsteadtwo mainstagesofAu min- sistingof naturalmineralsamplesand pure metals
eralization:stageI, consistingof refractory Au in were usedfor calibration.Qualitativeanalyses
by en-
arsenicalpyrite disseminatedin zones of intense ergy dispersivespectrometry were undertakenfor
phyllicalteration(oretypesB andC), plusminorAuø identificationof mineralphasesandfor investigation
in associatedbasemetal sulfideveins(type A); and of fluidinclusiondecrepitationresidues.
stageII, consistingoflocallyrichdepositsofAuøand/ Fluid inclusions
or Au-Agtelluridesin quartz-roscoelite veins(type
D). Locationof the earlierzonesof disseminated ore Microthermometry: Microthermometricmeasure-
is controlledby fracturingandbrecciationrelatedto mentsof fluid inclusionswere carried out usinga
faultsand the marginsof intrusivebodies,whereas Fluid Inc. gas-flowheating-freezingstage,slightly
TABI•V.
1. MineralizationTypesat Porgera(modifiedfromHandleyandBradshaw,!986)
Principal ore
Type Abundance Form minerals Accessory
oreminerals Gangueminerals
Stage I
C Restricted occurrence Fine disseminations Fine anhedral Pyrite, marcasite Sericite, quartz,
in crackle breccia auriferous carbonate,apatite
arsenicalpyrite
Transitional to
B Widespread Disseminations, Euhedralauriferous Sphalerite,galena Calcite-dolomite, sericite,
veinlets, pyrite quartz
stockworks
Very widespread Veins,veinlets, Coarse auriferous Marcasite,pyrargyrite, Fe-Mn carbonates,
quartz,
breccia matrix pyrite, sphalerite, tetrahedrite- sericite;late dolomite,
galena, freibergite, anhydrite,vug-filling
arsenopyrite chalcopyrite, gypsum
acanthite,gold or
electrum
Highlylocalized Veins, veinlets, Proustite- Pyrite, sphalerite, Calcite-dolomite,
quartz
breccia matrix pyrargyrite, galena,tetrahedrite
freibergite
StageII
D Localized occurrence Veinlets and Pyrite, gold or Marcasite, Roscoelite, quartz,
(Roamanefault) brecciamatrix; electrum chalcopyrite, calcite-dolomite, barite,
usuallyvuggy tetrahedrite, Au-Ag, late anhydrite
Hg, or Pb tellurides,
rare hematite
Note: Parageneticsequenceis C --* B, A, E --* D

PORGERAAU DEPOSIT,PAPUANEW GUINEA 1023
modifiedto permituseof a NikonELWD 40X objec- pressures weremonitoredat criticalstages to check

tive lens and matchinglong workingdistancecon- for leaks.
denser. Some fluid inclusions were found in Fe-rich Carbonates: CO2 was extractedfor analysisfrom
sphalerite,whichis opaqueto visiblelightbut trans- carbonatemineralsby decomposition in 100 percent
parent at infrared wavelengths(Campbellet al., H3PO4 at 25øC (calcite)or 50øC (dolomiteandMn-
1984a).In orderto studytheseinclusions, an Olym- Fe-Ca-Mgcarbonates). Analyticalreproducibilityfor
pusBHSM-IRinfraredmicroscope combined with an in-housestandards wastypicallywithin_+0.1per rail
Electrophysics infraredvideocameramodel7292M for fi13Cand fi180,but errorsare likely to be some-
wasusedin placeof the normalpetrographicmicro- whathigherfor the morecomplicatedMn-Fe-Ca-Mg
scope.By useof a standardsetof syntheticfluidin- carbonatesanalyzedin this study,particularlyfor
clusionsmanufacturedby Syn Flinc, the heating- fi180.Accuracyisthereforeestimatedto be _+0.1per
freezingstagewascalibratedto _0.1øC within the rail for fi13C,and _+0.1to 0.3 per mil for fi180,de-
low-temperaturerange of greatestinterestto this pendingon the sample.
study(0.0ø to -10.7øC), andto _+1øCat 374øC. Silicates:Oxygenisotopecompositions of quartz,
Becauseof the relativelylow gascontentof the hornblende,biotite, illite, roscoelite,epidote, and
fluid inclusions, CO2-melting points(Tm½o) were whole-rocksampleswere determinedafter reaction
rarelyobserved andclathrate-melting points,al- of thesemineralswith BrF5 at 600øC. ReleasedO2
thoughvisiblein somesamples,were uninterpret- was convertedto CO2 by reactionwith a heated
ablebecausemeltingoccurredin the absenceof liq- graphiterod andwassubsequently analyzedby mass
uid CO2. Thus, thermometricmeasurementswere spectrometer. Analyticalreproducibility forin-house
largelyrestrictedtoicemelting(Tm)andhomogeniza- standards wastypicallywithin_+0.1per rail for fi•80
tion temperatures(Th). In addition,in somehigh- andaccuracyof samplevaluesis expectedto be close
salinity inclusionscontainingdaughter minerals, to thisrange.Hornblendefromthe Porgeraintrusive
temperatures of vapor bubble disappearancecomplexwasfoundto be relativelyinert, perhapsre-
(They0.), andhalitedissolution (TmNac•) werere- flectinga highfluorinecontent,andfinegrindingwas
corded. requiredto ensurecompletereaction.
Salinityestimation: For the purposesof graphical Hydrogen isotope compositionsof hornblende,
representation and discussion,fluidsinvolvedat all biotite, illite, roscoelite,and epidote were deter-
stagesof hydrothermalactivity at Porgeraare as- minedafter fusionin vacuousinga radiofrequency
sumedto be simpleNaC1-H20mixtures,and salini- inductionheater. ReleasedH20 (and H2 after con-
tiesare reportedasequivalentweightpercentNaC1. versionto H20 in a copper furnace)was quantita-
The equationsof Potteret al. (1978) and Sterneret tivelyconvertedto H2overheateduraniumandthen
al. (1988) havebeenusedto calculateapparentsalin- analyzed. Analytical reproducibilityfor in-house
itiesfromfreezingpointdepression andhalitedisso- standards waswithin_+1per rail for fiD,but precision
lution measurements, respectively.Sterner et al.'s of sampleanalyses wasfoundto varywith the type of
equationis useddespitethe factthat hypersaline in- mineralbeinganalyzed.Poorestreproducibilitywas
clusionswere not trapped under vapor-saturatedobtainedfromillite, apparentlydueto incomplete fu-
conditions(seebelow);however,errorsin salinityin- sionin somecases.In general,sampleaccuracyis ex-
troducedby thisapproximation are likely to be small pectedto be better than _+2per mil, and within _+5
comparedwith errorsarisingfromcompositional un- per rail at worst.
certainties,becauseof the steepP-T slopesof liquidi Water:Samplesof coarse-crushed quartzfor bulk
for NaCl-saturatedbrines (Gunter et al., 1983; fluidinclusionanalysis were carefullyhandpickedto
Sterneret al., 1988; Bodnar,1992). avoidcontamination by hydrousmineralssuchasros-
coeliteandsericite,andthenboiledin aquaregiafor
Stableisotopes several hours. Fluid inclusion waters were released
The methodsusedfor stableisotopeanalysesare into the evacuatedH2 conversionline from 1-g ali-
describedand referencedin Kyser(1987b) and are quotsof the cleanedquartzby heatingto •600øC.
discussed only briefly below. Isotopicratiosare re- In contrast, standardsand ground-watersamples
ported in per mil relativeto internationalstandards wereinjecteddirectlyintothe linethrougha septurn.
(PDB,V-SMOW, CDT) usingthe conventional delta Oxygenisotopecompositions of groundwaterswere
(fi) notation,and the fractionationbetween two dif- obtainedby equilibrationof a smallvolumeof CO2
ferent mineralsor chemicalspecieswith isotopic with a large volumeof water at 25øC, followedby
compositions fi•andfi2isdefinedasA = 61- fi2-Isoto- analysis
of the CO2asabove.
pic ratioswere measuredusingVG 602, Finnigan- Sulfidesand sulfates:Sulfurisotopecompositions
MAT 251, andFinnigan-MATDelta massspectrome- were measuredafter conversionof sulfideto SO2in
ters.Yieldsof gaseswere measuredmanometrically the presenceof CuO or after direct releaseof SO2
to testfor completereactionof the samples,andgas fromsulfateby fusionathightemperature.Analytical
1024 R•Cff•,RDS AHD KERRICH
z- Rose ß0
E
l•c. 4. Photomicrographs of mineralassemblages andtexturesin alteredrocksandveinsfromthe
PorgeraAu deposit.Thickscalebars= 1 mm,thinscalebars= 100 •m; photographs takenin transmitted
light,exceptB andE, takenin reflectedlight.Abbreviations: Auø = nativegold,f.g. = fine-grained,
Py =
pyrite,Pz = petzite,Rose= roscoelite,SI = sphalerite,Qz = quartz.A. Quartzeye in phyllicalteration
associated with stageI disseminated mineralization; outlinesof plagioclase laths,nowalteredto sericite
anddolomite,canbe discerned (sample PS17).B. Nativegoldintergrown withquartzandsphalerite,and
interstitialto earlierpyrite,fromstageI basemetalsulfidevein (sampleP71). C. Typicalcrosssection
throughstageH vein,showing fromrightto left, initiallayerof veryfinegrainedanhedralquartz(proba-
bly depositedasamorphous silica)with dustingof pyrite,carbonate,andbarite;layerof fine-grained
combquartzintergrown withminorroscoelite andpyriteandfollowedbythickbandofroscoelite, pyrite,
Auø, andAu-Agtellurides;outward-coarsening layer of barren,growth-banded, vuggyquartz(sample
P39).D. Detailof growthbandin vuggyquartzlayerfromsampleshownin C, markedby densepopula-
tionsof primaryfluid inclusions. E. Auø and petzite as inclusions in pyrite, enclosedby quartzand
roscoelite; fromsampleshownin C. F. Largebaritecrystalgrowingoutward(to left) fromroscoelitic
bandin stageH vein(sampleP41).
reproducibility for in-housestandards wastypically Basemetalsulfideveinswith minorAuøareclosely

within_+0.1perrailfor•ia4S;accuracy ofsampleanaly- associatedwith the zonesof phyllic alterationand
sesisestimated to be +_0.2per rail,exceptformineral displayintenselysericitizedselvageswith abundant
pairsusedforthermometry whichwererepeatedun- disseminated pyrite andanatase.Fine-grainedcomb
til resultsagreedto within+_0.1per mil. quartz locallyoccursas a wall-rocklining to these
veinsbut rarely containsobservablefluid inclusions.
Samples The main stageof vein filling consistsof coarse-
Locatedsamples forfluidinclusionandstableisoto- grainedAs-bearing pyriteandisfollowedby deposi-
pic analysis
were obtainedfromdrill coreandunder- tionof otherbasemetalsulfides andsulfosalts (Table
groundworkings. Themineralogy andparagenesis of 1). Smallgrainsof Auø (typically<100 •m across)
allsamples usedinthisstudywerefirstestablished by occurin this later assemblage, often in association
detailedpetrographic andelectronmicroprobe in- with sphaleriteandgalena(Fig.4B;seealsoRichards
vestigation.Mineralseparates of hornblendeandbio- et al., 1991b,theirfig.2). Sphalerite fromtheseveins
titefromleastalteredsamples ofigneous rock,previ- isFe rich(Fe/[Fe+ Zn] -- 0.033-0.210) andisgener-
ouslydatedbyK-Atand4øAr/a9Ar methods (Richards ally opaqueto visiblelight in 100-um-thickdoubly
andMcDougall,1990), were usedto constrainthe O polishedsections. By usingan infraredmicroscope,
and H isotopecomposition of fluid in equilibrium however,fluidinclusions couldbe clearlyobserved.
with the Porgeramagmas. Samples of veinmaterials Quartz is rarely associated with the main stageof
fromthroughout the depositwere selectedfor their basemetalsulfidedeposition but contains fluidinclu-
coarsegrainsizeandlackof evidencefor overprint- sionssimilarto thosefoundin sphaleritewherepres-
ingor disruption. ThePorgeraAudeposithasexperi- ent. Thickbandsof zoned,Mn-Fe-Ca-Mgcarbonates
enced minimal bulk deformation and no metamor- were precipitatedafterthe sulfidestage(Fig. 5), and
phisinsinceformation, butwidespread overprinting finalcavityspacein the veinsis filledby chalcedonic
by laterstages of hydrothermal activitynecessitatedto vuggy quartz.
carefulevaluation of samples,
particularlyfromthe Stableisotopeanalyseshavebeen conductedon
earlieststagesof mineralization. representativesamplesof disseminated stageI ore
Propyliticalteration and base metal sulfide veins from throughout the
mine. Sulfides,late sulfates,carbonates,illitc, and
Samples ofigneousrocksdisplayingintense
propy- quartzhavebeenanalyzedisotopically for C, O, H,
litic alteration(epidotization,
carbonatization)
were and S; Pb and Sr isotopecompositionsof someof
selected froma suiteof 142 specimensfromthePor- thesesampleshavebeenreportedby Richardset al.
geraintrusivecomplex.Epidotefor O andH isotope (1991b).In addition,K-Ar ageestimates of between
analysis wasextractedfromthreeof thesesamples, 5.1 and6.1Mawereobtained fromillitcmineralsepa-
anddisseminated pyriteforSisotope
analysis
wassep- ratesby RichardsandMcDougall(1990).
arated from nine. Fluid inclusions were found in cal-
citeandraregarnet-filling
vesiclesandmiaroliticcavi- StageII mineralization
tiesin theserocks,andalsoin largeapatitepheno-
crysts. StageII veinstexturallyresemblethe productsof
explosivehydraulicfracturing,displayingbranches
StageI mineralization and spurs,and matrix-supported, angularwall-rock
Samplesof disseminated auriferouspyrite, asso- clasts
in breccias(cf. Phillips,
1979.;
Hedenquist and
ciatedwith zonesof pervasive phyllicalterationaf- Henley, 1985b). Repeated episodesof brecciation
fecting bothigneousandhostsedimentary rocks,rep- are visiblein somesamples,andthe veinsare com-
resentthe earliestore type exposedat Porgera.Pri- monlybandedor bear evidenceof multiplegrowth
mary igneoussilicateassemblages are completely
replacedby sericiteor illitc, dolomiticcarbonate,
anddisseminated pyriteandanatase. Smallquartz Ca(4o%) Ca(4m/o)
eyes, generallyonly a few hundred micrometers
across,occurin zonesof mostintensealteration(Fig.
4A).These"eyes"aresignificant, because theyhost
someof the earliest,hypersaline,fluidinclusions
as- ß ee{ee ß eee
sociatedwith Au mineralization in the Porgerade- Fe(1oo%) Atomic
% Mn(1oo%)
posit (see below). Overall, however,secondary
quartzin thisassociation
israre,probablybecause of FIo. 5. Compositions oflatecarbonates
fromstageII basemetal
sulfideveins,intermsofatomicpercentofcomponents Ca,Fe,and
thelowSiO2contentof themaficigneous protoliths Mn. A wide range of solid solutionbetween siderite and rho-
(thesuiteis dominantlynepheline-normative andno dochrosite isobserved, withminorbutrelativelyconstantamounts
primary quartzis observed). of CaCOaandMgCOa(thelatternotshown).
stages.A typicalprofile throughone suchmineral- Four typesof fluidinclusions

were foundin miner-
ized vein is shownin Figure 4C andD. The section alizedveinsand wall-rockalterationat the Porgera
beginswith a thin (1-2 mmwide)liningof veryfine Au deposit.Their diagnostic properties,alongwith
grained(10-50 •m), gray, anhedralquartz, inter- thoseof inclusionsassociated with propyliticalter-
grownwith scatteredfine-grained pyrite,barite,and ation in the Porgeraintrusivecomplex,are summa-
Ca-(Mn-Mg-Fe)carbonate(identifiedby electronmi- rized in Table 2 andexamplesof eachtype are illus-
croprobe).Individualcrystalsof thisquartzdisplay trated in Figure 6. Characterizationof fluid inclu-
radial extinctionpatterns,suggesting recrystalliza- sions in terms of primary, pseudosecondary, or
tion afteramorphous silica(Fournier,1985a;Sander secondaryorigin follows the criteria of Roedder
and Black,1988). Depositionof the silicarim was (1984).
followedby growthoffine-grained
combquartz(50-
300 •m long)intergrownwith roscoelite,minorbar- Propyliticalteration
ite, andthe ore mineralspyrite, tetrahedrite,chalco- Fluid inclusionsassociated with propyliticalter-
pyrite,Auø, andAu-Agtellurides(seeFig. 4E andF, ation in igneousrocksfrom the Porgeraintrusive
andRichardset al., 1991b, their fig. 2). Rare fluid complexwerefoundmainlyin calcitewhichfillsvesi-
inclusionstrappedin quartzfromtheseorebandsare clesandmiaroliticcavities,but they were alsofound
typicallysmall(_<5•m) andliquidrich.Growthofthe in apatitephenocrysts andin hydrothermalandradite
ore bandappearsto haveceasedpassivelyas indi- in one sample(PS59;Fig. 6A and B). Primaryand
catedby the euhedralterminations of sulfideandbar- pseudosecondary inclusionscontained only two
ite crystalsand the preservationof delicaterosettes phases--liquid(L) and vapor (V)--were generally
ofroscoelite. Theorestagegavewayto deposition of liquid rich and containedno visibleCO2 (i.e., no
barrencombquartz,whosegrainsizeincreases to- clathrateswere observed);they are referredto sim-
wardthe centerof the vein;the quartzstagetermi- ply as "propylitic" in Table 2. Rare secondaryor
nateswith vuggyeuhedraup to 1 cm wide. In some pseudosecondary trailsin calcitecontainingvapor-
samples, the sequence of fine-grainedsilicato comb rich inclusionswere alsofoundin somesamples, but
quartzdeposition wasrepeated,the transitionbeing poorvisibilityof the meniscus due to highvapor/liq-
markedby fracturingor a sharphiatusin the growth uid ratios and the small size of these inclusions hin-
of vuggyquartzin the precedinglayer.The quartz dered estimationof Th or Tm values;no melting
euhedracommonlycontaingrowthzonesoccupied eventswere observednear -56.6øC to suggestthat
by abundantprimary fluid inclusions(Fig. 4D), theycontainedCO2.Theseinclusions mayreflectin-
whicharelargerbut otherwisesimilarin appearance termittentepisodesof boiling.
to those found in the ore bands. The originof fluid inclusionsin igneousapatiteis
Representative samplesof stageII veinswere col- problematic, inasmuch astheytexturallyappearpri-
lected from undergroundexposures and from drill mary (large inclusionsup to 20 •m long occurin
coreforfluidinclusion andstableisotope studies. Ros- three-dimensional arraysorientedparallel to the c
coelitewasseparatedfrom onesamplefor O andH axisof apatitecrystals in somesamples; Fig. 6B),but
isotopeanalysis,andtwo othersamplesyieldedros- Th values(245ø-340øC) are well below those ex-
coeliteintergrown with quartzfromwhichH isotope pectedfor magmaticfluids.Similarfluid inclusions
compositions onlywere obtained.A K-Ar ageof 5.7 do not occurin apatitesfrom lessaltered rocks,al-
_ 0.1 (2a) Ma for oneof theseroscoelite samples was thoughsolidor glassinclusions are abundantin phe-
reportedby RichardsandMcDougall(1990). Pyrite nocrysts of thismineral.It isthereforesuggested that
wasseparated for Sisotopeanalysis fromsixveinand thesefluid inclusions are secondary with respectto
wall-rocksamples, materialwasavail- original crystallizationof apatite and may have
but insufficient
ableto separatebarite fromore bandsin theseveins. formedby hydrothermal recrystallization
or by re-
Instead,latevuggybaritewasextractedfromonesam- placementof preexistinginclusionsand defectsin
ple, andplatyanhydritefromanother. this mineral.
Homogenizationtemperature and salinity esti-
Fluid Inclusion Microthermometric Results matesfor primaryandpseudosecondary fluid inclu-
sionsin calciteand andraditegarnet,andsecondary
The results of fluid inclusion microthermometric (?)inclusionsin apatite,areillustratedgraphically in
investigations of hydrothermalactivity associatedFigure 7. Apatite phenocrystscontainsomeof the
with earlypropyliticalterationandstagesI andII of highestsalinityinclusions(13.1-16.8 wt % NaC1
ore formationat Porgeraarepresented below;they equiv), but Th valuesare comparableto those of
expanduponresultspreviously reportedbyRichards lower salinityinclusions in calcite.High-salinityin-
(1992). In the ensuingsection,these data are dis- clusions alsooccurin calcitefromtwosamples (PS22
cussedin termsof their implications for fluid pres- andPS150)whereTh valuesrangingfrom 410ø to
sures,salinity,andconditionsof ore formation. 105øC suggestthat they were trappedduringpro-
PORGERA AU DEPOSIT, PAPUA NEW GUINEA 1027
TA•t•E2. Fluid InclusionTypesObservedat Porgera
Classification Paragenetic
association
• Phases
present Phaseproportions
Propylitic Propyliticalteration L+V L • V, L • V

Type 1 StageI B-typemineralization L + V + H + (S) L • V; (L + V) • or • H
Type 2 StageI A veins L+V L• V
Type 3 StageI A veins L+V L• V
Type 4 StageIID veins L+V L• V
Abbreviations:
H -- halite,L = liquid,S = sylviteandotherminordaughterphases,
V = vapor
1SeeTable1 for descriptionof parageneticassociations
gressivecooling. Initial melting phenomenaob-

servedat temperaturesbelow -45øC in fluid inclu- T__are
more
uniform
•1 •fordata and
average
192
ø_40øC
intherange (n
100 øto300øC (Fig. 9C).
sionsfrom apatite,combinedwith the natureof the Thesedataare interpretedto reflecttrappingof ha-
associated mineralogy, indicatethatthesefluidscon- lite-saturated fluids, as discussedbelow.
tain significant amountsof CaC12. Groupsof type i fluid inclusions are commonly
Fluid inclusionswith salinitiesbelow "-'8 wt per- disruptedby later trailsof dilute two-phasesecond-
cent NaC1equivdefinea scatteredtrend fromTh • aryinclusions (type4). Theseinclusions alsooccurin
450øC andsalinity•, 7.9 wt percentNaC1equiv,to late vuggyquartzandare characterized by average
Th • 200øC and salinity• 4.5 wt percentNaC1 T• = 144ø+_12øC(n = 97) andsalinity= 7.6 _+0.5 wt
equiv (Fig. 7A). Initial meltingphenomenawere not percentNaCI equiv(n -- 84). They appearto repre-
observeduntil temperaturesreachedabove-25øC senta late hydrothermaloverprintat temperatures
and no evidencefor clathrationwasobserved,sug- below 200øC (assuming formationat approximately
gestingthat thesefluidsare NaC1rich with low dis- 450 bars).
solvedgascontents. The high-temperature inclusions
in thisgroupwerederivedfroma stronglyepidotized StageI basemetalsulfideveinmineralization
sample(PS150)anddisplaynear-critical homogeniza-
tionbehaviorto boththeliquidandvaporphase,sug- Liquid-richtype2 andrarevapor-rich type3 fluid
gestingtrappingnearthe criticalpoint.Data for the inclusions arefoundasprimaryandpseudosecondary
H20-NaC1systemindicatethat theseconditionsoc- inclusions in sphaleriteand sparsequartzfrombase
cur at approximately460øC and 450 barsfor a fluid metalsulfideveinsassociated with stageI phyllical-
of 7.9 wt percentNaC1,closelysimilarto the maxi- terationandmineralization(Fig. 6D andE), whereas
mum temperaturesnotedhere (Sourirajanand Ken- type 4 inclusions occurin late vuggyquartz.
nedy, 1962). The attainmentof critical conditions Type 2 fluid inclusions containminoramountsof
thereforeconstrains pressures duringpropyliticalter- COe, sometimesvisibleduringmeltingexperiments
ationto approximately 450 bars,assuming the effec- as clathrate.However, the clathrate-meltingpoint
tive absenceof dissolved gases. couldnotbe usedto estimatesalinitybecause liquid
COewas not present.The additionof COeto the
StageI disseminated mineralization NaC1-He systemresultsin depressionof the ice-
Small(typically<5 tam),high-salinityfluid inclu- meltingcurve, and consequently, salinitieswill be
sionscontainingliquid, vapor, and halite, with or overestimated if modeledonlyin termsof NaCI and
without minor sylviteand other daughterminerals, H20. However,precisequantification of thiseffectis
occurin rarequartzeyesassociated withstageI phyl- difficult (see discussion below) and no corrections
lic alteration and disseminated Au mineralization havebeen madeto the datapresentedhere.
(Fig.6C).Thesetype1 fluidinclusions (Table2) rep- Microthermometric datafor type 2 inclusions from
resent the earliest fluids associated with ore forma- bothquartzandsphaleritearepresentedin Figures8
tion at Porgera.Leastdisturbedgroupsof thesein- and10. In general,theseinclusions displayrelatively
clusions reveala rangeof Thandsalinityvaluesfrom uniformproperties,with combinedaverageTh and
170øC and 30.5 wt percentNaCI equiv,to 518øC apparentsalinityvaluesof 299ø _+33øC (n = 274)
and62.2 wt percentNaC1equiv,but with a bimodal and9.5 +_1.8 wt percentNaC1equiv(n = 142). How-
distributionwithin this range (Figs. 8 and 9A). ever,the averageT• is slightlyhigherin quartzthan
They invariablyhomogenize finallyby halitedissolu- in sphalerite(318ø _+21øC, comparedwith 273ø _+
tion(iße,. Th,.v,.
_() < Tm ac•
. . = Th);recordedTmNa values 29øC),perhapsreflectingthe marginallyearlierpar-
(used toestimate sa•mty) commonly excee• T•i ageneticpositionof quartzrelativeto sphaleritein
byover100øC (Fig.9B).In comparison, values •r theseveins.Progressive coolingduringvein fillingis
1028 mCHARDSAND KEBPdCH
O '.'
H
..
z..
:. :
C /.
E I
G l
PORGERA
AU DEPOSIT,PAPUANEW GUINEA 1029
furtherindicatedby the presenceof type 4 fluid in- (P2). The latter inclusionsappearcompletelydark,
clusionsin late vuggyquartz(seebelow). with no visible meniscus,such that no microthermo-
Type 3 low-densityvapor-richfluidinclusions oc- metric measurementscould be made; in addition, no
cur locallyin secondarytrails in sphalerite,and as CO• wasdetectedin theseinclusions
duringmelting
secondaryand pseudosecondary inclusionsin late experiments.
quartz(Fig.6F). Microthermometric investigationof Type 4 inclusionsare typicallyirregularin shape
theseinclusionswas hinderedby their smallsize, but with somefacetedboundariesand may be elon-
highvapor/liquidratios,andnegativecrystalshapes, gatedin the directionof crystalgrowth.They gener-
which combined to obscure the meniscus between ally display uniform vapor/liquid ratios and yield
the liquidandvaporphases. Thisproblemwaspartic- consistentTh measurements (seebelow).A colorless
ularly acute for inclusionsin sphalerite,where the to palegreenphyllosilicatemineral(sericiteor rosco-
highrefractiveindexcontrastbetweenthe fluid and elite?) was observedas a pseudodaughter phase
enclosing mineral made the inclusionsappear trappedin somelarge inclusions.The presenceof
completelydark. Thus, observationswere largely CO• wasnot positivelyidentifiedby microthermo-
restricted
to the measurement
of Tmco,whichwas metric observations,althougherraticbubblemove-
sometimesvisiblewhenCO2frozeinah]mpattached mentsin someinclusions
duringwarmingfrom 0 to
to the inclusionwall; such valueswere typically 10øC may reflect the melting of trace amountsof
withinthe measurement errorof the meltingpointof clathrate(of. Collins, 1979). However, concentra-
pure CO2 (-56.6øC). tionsof up to 1.4 molepercentCO• havebeen de-
Type 3 fluid inclusionsare not in general asso- tectedby gaschromatograph analysisof fluid inclu-
ciatedwith liquid-richinclusions andtypicallyoccur sionsin samplesfrom stageII veins(J.P. Richards,
alongsecondarytrailsor aspseudosecondary inclu- C.J. Bray, D. M. DeR. Channer, and E. T. C.
sions.It is thereforethoughtthattheseinclusions do Spooner,1992,unpub.data).Thesegascontents will
not reflectconditionsof phaseseparationat the site resultin anoverestimation of salinityif calculatedon
of trappingbut rather that they representsporadic the basisof simpleNaC1-H20 solutions(seediscus-
incursions ofCO•-richvaporderivedfromdeeperlev- sionbelow).
elsin the hydrothermalsystem. Qualitativeelectronmicroprobeanalysesof resi-
Type 4 fluidinclusions in latevug-fillingquartzare duesformedafter decrepitationof type 4 inclusions
characterizedby lower temperaturesand salinities in severalsamplesindicatethat NaC1is the dominant
thantype 2 inclusions(Th = 140ø +_14øC, n = 394; nonvolatile solute, with lesser KC1 and substantialS
6.7 +_1.5 wt % NaC1equiv,n = 358). They are similar of unknownspeeiation.
to inclusionsfrom late stageI disseminatedore and Large (up to 100 /•m long) primarytype 4 fluid
stageII veins(seebelow).Depositionof latequartzin inclusionsare mostabundantin barrengrowthzones
the basemetalsulfideveinsmaythereforerecordthe in late vuggyquartzfrom stageII veins,but in this
transitionfrom stageI to stageII hydrothermalac- associationthey cannotunequivocallybe relatedto
tivity. Au deposition(Figs. 4D and 6H). In contrast,pri-
mary inclusions in quartzintergrownwith roscoelite
StageH quartz-roscoelite-Auveinmineralization - and ore minerals are less common and are small in
size (typically<5/•m; Fig. 6G). Microthermometric
Quartz-roscoelite-Au veins are characterized al- observations reveal that there is little distinction be-
mostexclusivelyby type 4 fluid inclusions (Fig. 6G tween inclusionsfrom thesetwo associations
(Figs.8
andH), althougha pseudosecondary trail of type 3 and 11). Homogenization temperaturesof inclusions
vapor-richinclusionswasobservedin one sample in barrenquartzandquartz-roscoelite bandsaverage
FI(;. 6. Photomicrographs of fluidinclusions

in alteredrocksandveinsfromthe PorgeraAu deposit,
takenin transmitted light;scalebars= 20 #m.A. High-temperature pseudosecondary inclusions
in calcite
frompropyliticallyalteredintrusion (samplePS150;seetext).B. Fluidinclusions in apatitephenocrysts
frompropyliticallyalteredintrusion (sample PS116).Theinclusions arewellformedandoccurin three-
dimensional arrays,buthomogenization temperatures aretoolowto reflectprimarycrystallization ofthe
hostmineral.Theymaythereforereflectsubsolidus hydrothermal recrystallization.
C. Type 1 hypersa-
linefluidinclusions in quartzeyefromstageI phyllicalteration(sample Pl19); halitedaughterminerals
(H) are arrowed.D. Type 2 pseudosecondary fluidinclusions in quartzfromstageI basemetalsulfide
vein(sample P116).E. Type2 primaryfluidinclusions decoratingtransparentgrowthbandin sphalerite
fromstageI basemetalsulfidevein(sample P101).F. Type3 pseudosecondary vapor-rich inclusionsin
latequartzfromstageI basemetalsulfidevein(sample PS99).G. Unusually largetype4 primaryinclu-
sionsin quartzintergrownwith roscoelite-pyrite-Au ø (black)from stageII vein (sampleP8). H. Dense
clusterofprimary,irregular-shaped type4 inclusionsin growthzonein barren,vuggyquartzfromstage
II vein (sampleP14).
1030 RICH,If, DS AND KERRICH
3O
ß Calc•e(L) ,'T 25
D Calc•e (NCL) • 20
o Calcite(NCV)
o ApaCe
•, lO
ß Garnet
lO0 5
A o
150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550
5 10 15 20
Equiv. wt. % NaCI TmNaCl

= Th (øC)
[] Garnet /
;7 15
[] Calcite
(NCL/V)
.• 10 ß caldte(L)
E
200
5 I 100
ß
B0 100 140 180 220 260 300 340
,//,II..
380 420 460
B0 o 100 200 300 400 500 60O
Th (øC)
TmNaCi
= Th (*C)
[] Garnet
25 14
•. / -- I• I ßApatite
I •" 12
8
Co 15
10
2 4 5 6 7 6 9 10 11
Equiv. wt. % NaCl

12 13 14 15 16 17 16
•10
C
4
2
o
100 150 200 250 300
ThL_V(L)
350
(øC)
400 450 500
FIc. 7. Microthermometric data for fluid inclusions associated FIG.9. Microthermometric

datafortype 1 fluidinclusions
asso-
with propyliticalteration.A. Plotof homogenization temperature ciatedwithstage
I phy!!ic
alteration.
A. HistogramofT,,, o (= Ts)
versussalinity,showingthe NaC1-HgO criticalcurveof Sourirajan values;
notebimodal distribution
of data.B. Plotof T,,,,o versus
andKennedy(1962). Fluidinclusions with compositions fallingto They0.)
values.
Inclusions
belowthedashed
lineweretrapped
at
the right of the dashedline may reflectmixingbetweendilute pressureshigherthan vaporsaturation,and apparentminimum
groundwatersand more salinefluids,of possible!ate-magmatic trappingpressuresincreaseby about I kbar for every ---24øC
origin(arrow).B. Histogramof homogenization temperatures. C. bywhichT,,, o exceeds
They) (Bodnar
, 1992) Some
inclusions
in
Histogramof salinities.Abbreviations refer to homogenization to thisdiagram
appear
tohave
•eentrapped
atvery
high
pressures,
liquid phase(L), near-criticalhomogenization to liquid phase butthesedatamayinsteadreflectheterogeneous
trappingofhalite
(NCL), andnear-criticalhomogenization to vaporphase(NCV). andliquidfroma saturated
fluid(seediscussion
below).C. Histo-
gramofThe,0.
) values,
showing
a distinct
modenear200øC.See
text for discussion.
60O
ß Type 1 (Oz)
ß Ty•e 2 (Sphaledte)
146ø __14øC(n = 452) and 135ø __14øC(n = 149),
A Type2 (Oz) respectively,and are statisticallyindistinguishable.
ß Type4 (vuggyOz) Similarly,thereis a completeoverlapin apparentsa-
linities,whichrangefrom3.4 to 9.6 wt percentNaCI
oType 4(Oz-Rosc) equiv.However,thesedataform a bimodalpopula-
200
tion separatedby a gapbetween4.9 and5.9 wt per-
100 centNaC1equiv(Fig.1lB). Averagesalinities of fluid
0
inclusions from barren quartzclusterat 4.2 __0.3 wt
I 10 100
percentNaC1equiv(n = 104) and 7.8 __0.7 wt per-
Equiv. wt. % NaCl cent NaCI equiv(n = 346), whereasinclusions asso-
FIG. 8. Microthermometric data from fluid inclusions asso-
ciated with quartz-roscoelite
intergrowths are domi-
ciatedwith Au mineralization,identifiedin termsof fluid inclusion natedby compositions in the highersalinitygroup-
typesandhostminerals(seeTable2). Abbreviations: Qz = quartz, ing, with an averageof 7.5 __0.5 wt percentNaCI
Rose = roscoelite. equiv (n = 93).
7O
pressureof 450 barsshould,therefore,be regarded
_60[]Quartz
u.
•
•, 40
50I ß Sphalerite
asa maximumestimatefor stageII.
If the effectsof dissolvedgasesareignored,thena
pressurecorrectionfor homogenizationtempera-
E 30
turesof type 2 and4 fluid inclusionsof up to 40ø or
z 20
50øCisindicated(Potter,1977). However,the pres-
10
enceof CO2will havethe effectof raisingthe vapor
A o pressureof the fluid, and therefore reducingthe
200 220 240 260 280 300 320 340 360 380
magnitudeof this correction.Quantification of this
Th (*C) effectis difficult,but by interpolatingbetweenthe
35 widely spaceddata for CO2 solubilityin NaC1-HzO
solutions obtainedby Drummond(1981), anestimate
=3ol
•
E
25
15-
[] Quartz
I of 200 to 300 barsissuggested
abovea solutioncontaining
NaC1at thesetemperatures.
forthe vaporpressure
1 molalCOzand1 molal
Assuming thatthe slopes
•'20
;• 10-
B
5-
o
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Equiv. wt. % NaCI

14 15
of isochores for thissolutionare not greatlydifferent
fromthosein the NaC1-HzOsystem,thena pressure
correctionof perhapsonly 20ø to 30øC shouldbe
appliedto the observedhomogenization tempera-
tures.Thus,an averagetemperatureof •-'325øC for
FIG. 10. Microthermometricdatafor type 2 fluid inclusions
in
stageI basemetal sulfideveins,and •-,165øC for
quartzandsphaleritefromstageI basemetalsulfideveins.A. His- stageII quartz-roscoelite-Au veinsis suggested,with
togramof homogenization temperatures. B. Histogramof salini- pressures fluctuatingbetween•-'450 and•-'250 bars.
ties.
-The latter value is slightlylower than the tempera-
ture of 180øCassumed by Richards(1992) in the ab-
senceof gascompositional data.
Discussion of Fluid Inclusion Results
Interpretation
of typeI fluid inclusions
Sources
offluidsandfluid pressure
duringpropylitic The wide rangeof halite dissolutiontemperatures
alteration
shownby type i fluidinclusions, andthe observation
Fluids involvedin propylitic alterationfall into
low- andhigh-salinitygroups,with a divisionat ap- 25O
proximately8 wt percentNaC1equiv (Fig. 7A and
C). The low-salinitygroupis relativelytightlyclus- 200
tered,andit issuggested thatthesefluidsmayrepre-
sentgroundwatersheatedby contactwith the cool- 150
llQuartz-Roscoelite
ß VuggyQuartz
ing intrusiverocks.The higher salinityfluids,how- 100

ever, show a scattered,approximatelyhorizontal 50
trend,suggesting derivationby mixingbetweenthe
o
lowersalinityfluidsanda moresalinecomponent. A 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180
possiblesource ofthelattercomponent isthecrystal-
lizingintrusionsthemselves (cf.Larsenet al., 1992), Th (*C)
withtemperature andcomposition modifiedby back-
reaction with their solidified source rocks. 140
Fluidinclusions
displaying
near-critical
homogeni-
zation characteristics
provide the best estimateof 100
pressureduringhydrothermalactivityat Porgera.
The value of 450 bars deduced from these data is •o
closeto the valueof 500 barssuggested
by Richards 6o
40
(1992) onthe basisof stratigraphic
considerations. 20
Pressureestimates andtrappingtemperatures of type o

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
2 and4 fluid inclusions
Equiv. wt. % NaCI
Fluid pressuresare likely to have fluctuated
throughout the historyof oreformation,andcontem- FIG. 11. Microthermometric datafor type 4 fluidinclusions
in
quartz stageII veins, separatedinto inclusionsassociatedwith
poraneous uplift andunroofingmayhaveresultedin quartz-roscoelite-(Au)intergrowths,and late, barren, vuggy
an overallpressuredecreasefrom early propylitic, quartz.A. Histogramof homogenization temperatures. B. Histo-
throughstageI, to stageII hydrothermalactivity.A gramof salinities.
1032 RICHARDS
AND KERRICH
thatTm•ao
>)>
Thi•_v<i•
)inmanycases, aproblem for fluidtrappedat 450 bars(205øC;Fig. 12, point
presents
if fluid pressuresare interpretedto be low. Bodnar B).Inclusions
withthesecharacteristics
probablyrep-
(1992) hasestimatedslopesfor isochoresof a 40 wt resentsamplesof homogeneous fluid that contained
percentNaC1solutionin the haliteplusliquidfieldto nosolidNaC1at thetimeof trapping. Thetailingof
be approximately 23øto 25Cø/kbar,whichwouldap- Thv(i• datatohighervalues,
asobserved inFigure 9B
pearto indicatethat manyof the high-salinity inclu- an••, may reflectpostentrapment modification of
sionsat Porgerawere trappedat very highpressures theinclusions, orstretching
duringhigh-temperature
(e.g.,>4 kbarforinclusions
withTm•ac
• -• Th•_v(i•)
> measurements.Taken as a whole, these data are
100øC; Fig. 12, point A). However, an alternative thereforeinterpretedto reflecttrappingof a halite-
explanationfor thesedatais that the fluidswere satu- saturatedliquid with dissolved salinityof '--32 wt
ratedwith NaC1andthat manyof the high-salinitypercent NaC1 equiv, at temperaturesof 200 to
inclusions contained solid NaC1 as well as fluid at the 210øC and pressuresof "-450 bars.
timeof trapping(cf.ClokeandKesler,1979).These One difficultywith thisinterpretation,
however,is
heterogeneously trappedinclusions
wouldthen ho- theinconsistency betweenfluidtemperatures during
mogenizefinallyby halitedissolutionat very high phyllicalterationandbasemetal sulfidevein forma-
temperatures,thusgivinga misleadingindicationof tion.It mightbe expectedthatthe highesttempera-
trapping temperatureand original fluid salinity. tureswouldbe recordedby the earlierfluidsandthat
ThI•
W)values, however, should beuniformly lowand the apparentlylater crosscutting veinswouldcarry
sh•-u[•l
closelyapproximate thetruetrapping temper-coolerfluids.A possibleexplanation liesin the spar-
ature (e.g., a pressurecorrectionof only '•12øC sity of type 1 fluid inclusionsandtheir restrictionto
wouldbe requiredif the fluidsweretrappedat 450 rare interstitial quartz eyes in the altered rocks.
bars;Fig. 12, pointB). It wasnotedabovethat the Thesepreserved inclusions
mayrepresent onlya late
average valueof Th v(L) measurements is 192ø + residueof the fluidthat wasoriginallypresent,and
40øC(Fig.9C)andt•esedataare,therefore, infu•] whichfor the mostpart wasnot saturatedin silica,
agreement withthe expectedbehaviorfor heteroge- anddidnotthereforetrapitself.In addition,thetran-
neousinclusions trappedat relativelylow pressures. sitoryreturnto highertemperatures duringdeposi-
Moreover,the lowerTm•c• population modeob- tionofbasemetalsulfides mayreflectrapidascentof
served inFigure 9Aoccurs getween 200øand225øC fluidsalongopenveinsfromdeeper,hotterlevelsin
(averageat 206ø + 17øC,n = 18), only14øCabove the hydrothermal system. Thesefluidswereclearly
theThi•_y(i•)
average andclose to thevaluepredictedoutof equilibrium withlocalconditions,asshownby
the returnto low-temperature depositionof carbon-
4.0 ates and quartz immediatelyfollowingthe sulfide
stage.Better constraints
on the spatialandtemporal
relationships
betweenthesetwostylesof hydrother-
mal activitymayprovidea clearerexplanation for
these observations.
Effects
of COsonsalinityestimates
of type2 fluid
inclusions
Preliminaryresultsof gaschromatographic analy-

sesof type 2 fluid inclusions
in sphaleritesamples
1.0 ThL-v(L)
'8 L+V+H fromstageI basemetalsulfideveinsindicateCO2
contentsof up to 2.2 molepercent(J.P. Richards,
C.J. Bray, D. M. DeR. Channer, and E. T. C.
Temperature (*½) Spooner,1992, unpub. data). As noted above,the
presenceof CO2in theseconcentrations
will resultin
FIG.12. Pressure-temperature
sketchof partof the NaC1-H•O an overestimationof salinity when calculatedin
system,showing the liquid+ vapor+ NaCI curve(L + V + H),
liquiduslinesfor 32 and 38 wt percentNaC1solutions, andthe termsof the NaC1-H•Osystem.
approximate trajectoryofanisochorein theL + H fieldextending Hedenquist andHenley(1985a)derivedan equa-
fromtheL + V + H curve atThL_V•LI
= 192øC (dashedline;slopesof tionfor calculation
of the meltingpoint(Tin)of a di-
isochoresandliquiduslinesfromBodnar,1992).Fluidinclusions lute NaC1-CO•-H•Osolutionin whichclathrationdid
forwhichTm exceeds Th by 100Cøormore(Fig 9B)appear
to havebeentrappedat a minimumpressureindicatedby pointA. not occurand in whichidealbehaviorwasapproxi-
Thesehighpressures areincompatiblewithotherbarometricevi- mated:
dence,andit is insteadsuggested that inclusions
showingsuch
propertiestrappeda mixtureof liquidandhalite,andthus,homo- Tm= --{Ksa+ømNa ++ KCi-'mci-+ Kco•'mco•},(1)
genizeat artificiallyhightemperatures.Inclusions
whichtrapped
onlya liquidphasehomogenize of whereK is the molalfreezingpointdepression
finallyat •206øC at pressures con-
only'-'500 barsandarerepresented by pointB. Seetextfordis- stant,andm ismolality;KNa*
andKcl-= 1.72 Kelvin/
cussion.
m,andKco• = 1.86Kelvin/m.Usingthisequation
and
PORGERA
AUDEPOSIT,
PAPUA
NEWGUINEA 1033
assuming completedissociation of NaC1andsolvation mation.The significance of this observation is not

of CO2,a solutioncontaining 2.2 molepercentCO2 clearat thistime,but fromthe datashownin Figure
(• 1.3 m • 5.0 wt % CO•) with an ice-meltingtem- 1lB, it appearsthat Au depositionwasmoreclosely
peratureof-7øC containsonly 1.34 m NaC1(=6.9 associated with the highersalinityfluids.
wt % NaC1),comparedwith 2.01 m NaC1calculated
assuming freezingpointdepression dueto NaC1only Conditions duringstageII veinformation
(10.5 wt % NaC1 equiv;Potter et al., 1978). This The fluidinclusionrecordbeginsratherlate in the
valuefor the loweringof Tmis a maximumestimate, overalldevelopment of stageII veinsandprovidesno
however, becausethe solubility of CO• in the informationon conditionsduring initial rupture,
aqueousphasedecreases with increasingsalinity which from the brecciated nature of the vein wall
(EllisandGolding,1963) andclathrationeffectively rocks,appearto havebeen violent.Microscopically
removesCO• from solution.A more realisticassess- visiblefluid inclusions were not trappeduntil after
ment is providedby Collins(1979), who calculated cementationof the fractured wall rocks by fine-
the effectof clathrateformationonthe salinityof the grainedsilica.This latter materialwasprobablyde-
residualliquid.He showedthat in a solutioncontain- positedrapidlyas amorphous silicafrom supersatu-
ing 10 wt percent NaC1and 2.2 mole percent CO•, rated solutionsand was subsequently recrystallized
the salinityafter clathrateformationwould increase (Fournier,1985a;SanderandBlack,1988). Richards
to • 12 wt percentNaC1.Thus,it seemslikely that (1992) suggested thatstageII veinsandbrecciasmay
apparentsalinities of type2 fluidinclusions fromPor- havebeenformedduringtransientperiodsof explo-
gera calculatedfrom ice-meltingtemperatures will sivehydrothermalactivity,or flashing,occurringin
overestimatetrue salinitiesby up to 2 wt percent responseto seismicmovementson the Roamanefault
NaC1equiv. (cf. Sibson,1987). It is suggested that theseevents
resultedin the depositionof the fine-grainedsilica
Effectsof CO,on salinityestimates of type4 fluid vein liningsand brecciacements.Fluid inclusions,
inclusions
however,were not trapped until crystallinequartz
Carbondioxideconcentrations of type 4 fluid in- was depositedafter hydrologicconditionsin the
clusions arelowerthanthoseof type2 inclusions, as veinsstabilized.Therefore,no recordof the separa-
shownby the rarevisibilityof clathrateandprelimi- tion of a vaporphaseis preserved.Supportfor this
narygaschromatograph analyses (e.g.,0.5-1.4 mole hypothesis is foundin the isotopiccompositions of
% CO2--0.3-0.8 m CO•--in bulk fluid inclusion sulfideand sulfatemineralsfrom stageII veins(see
analyses from stageII quartz;J.P. Richards,C. J. below), and implicationsfor Au depositionare dis-
Bray, D. M. DeR. Charmer,and E. T. C. Spooner, cussedin the "Synthesis"section.
1992, unpub.data).However,theseamountsof CO•
canstill lead to significant errorsin salinityestima- StableIsotopeResults
tion if they are not takeninto account.Hedenquist Isotopiccompositions of O, H, S, and C in whole
andHenley(1985a,p. 1390) suggest thatconcentra- rocks, minerals, and fluid inclusionsare listed in Ta-
tionsof • 1 m CO• maycontributeup to 2.0øCto the
freezingpoint depressions of relativelydilute fluids T•I• 3. Whole-Rock OxygenIsotopeCompositions
in the absence of clathrateformation,resultingin po- fromthe PorgeraAu Deposit
tentialoverestimations of salinityof up to • 3 wt per-
cent NaC1equiv. fi•80
This observationmay indicatethat the bimodality Sampleno. Description (%0)
of apparentsalinitiesobservedin Figure 1lB is the Least altered
resultof variations in gascontentin anotherwiseho- RJR-6 Hawaiitic intrusion 8.8
mogeneousfluid. For example, from equation 1 P139 Chim Fro. CS 16.8
P144 Om Fm. CS 13.7
above,a solutioncontaining0.8 m CO• and 1 m/1
Propyliticalteration
NaC1(•5.4 wt % NaC1)will meltfinallyat -4.9øC in RJR-28 Epidotizedintrusion 9.3
the absence of clathrate.If the presenceof gasis not RJR-67 Epidotizedintrusion 19..3
accountedfor, then the salinityof this fluid would RJR-68 Pyritized Chim Fm. CS 15.1
appearto be 7.8 wt percentNaC1equiv,in excessof RJR-69 Pyritized Chim Fm. CS 12.7
thetruevalueby 44 percent.However,althoughthis Phyllic alteration•
RJR-76 SericitizedChim Fm. CS 19..4
roughcalculationyieldsapparentsalinitydifferences RJR-77 SericitizedChim Fm. CS 19..6
similarto thoseactuallyobserved,it isconsidered un- RJR-78 Sericitizedintrusion 19..5
likely that any physicalmechanism couldresultin RJR-79 Sericitizedintrusion 19..8
100 percentdegassing of a fluid as requiredto ex- RJR-80(PS17) Sericitizedintrusion 14.6
RJR-81(P49) Sericitizedintrusion 15.6
plainthe low-salinity data.Therefore,it appearsthat
fluidsof two differentsalinities but similartempera- Abbreviations:CS -- carbonaceoussiltstone,Fm. = Formation
tureshadaccess to the stageII veinsduringtheirfor- • Samples werewashedin diluteHCI to removecarbonates
10 3 4 RICHARDS
AND KERRICH
T•,•r• 4. OxygenandHydrogen
IsotopeDataforMinerals,
WholeRocks,andWaterfromthePorgeraAuDeposit
f•80 fD3 f•8OH2o fDa•o

Sample
no. Mineral Stage Paragenesis
• Description T (øC)• (%0) (%0) (%0) (%0)
P121.Q1 Qz I A Qz-slintergrowth 354 13.8 8.6
P1.Q1 Qz I LateA Latevuggyqz 165 16.9 2.7
P36.Q1 Qz I LateA Latevuggyqz 159 20.2 5.5
P54.Q1 Qz I Late A Late vuggyqz 20.0
P68.Q1 Qz I Late A Late vuggyqz 169 17.5 3.6
P122.Q1 Qz I LateA Latevuggyqz 167 20.2 -58 6.1 -58
P137.Q1 Qz I Late A Late vuggyqz 19.4
PS67.Q1 Qz I LateA Latevuggyqz 18.7
PS76.Q1 Qz I Late A Saccharoidalqz 125 22.4 -52 4.5 -52
PS77.Q1 Qz I Late A Saccharoidalqz 125 20.4 -50 2.5 -50
P116.Q1 Qz I B Brecciacement 177 18.9 5.6
PS11.Q1 Qz I B Sugaryqz + py 165 17.3 3.1
P14.Q1 Qz I/II A/D Qz-pyvein 178 19.5 6.3
P123.Q2 Qz I/II A/D Qz-dolomite vein 167 16.7 2.6
P2.Q1 Qz II D Vuggyqz tip 188 17.5 -48 5.0 -48
P2.Q2 Qz II D Vuggyqz root 161 17.7 -46 3.2 -46
P3.Q1 Qz II D Qz-roscband 16.6
P8.Q1 Qz II D Vuggyqz tip 168 16.8 2.8
P17.Q2 Qz II D Vuggyqz root 17.7
P41.Q1 Qz II D Qz-roscband 155 18.5 3.4
P43.Q1 Qz II D Qz-roscband 173 16.9 3.3
P46.Q2 Qz II D Vuggyqz center 159 17.7 3.0
P46.Q3 Qz II D Vuggyqz root 163 17.2 2.8
P61.Q1 Qz II D Late qz 165 17.8 3.6
P124.Q2 Qz II D Vuggyqz center 17.6
P124.Q3 Qz II D Qz-roscband 17.7
P124.Q4 Qz II D F.g. base 18.0
PS92.Q1 Qz II D Vuggyqz tip 170 18.0 4.2
PS92.Q2 Qz II D Vuggyqz root 17.3
P100 Illite I B Phyllicalteration 200 16.4 -55 10.4 -40
P104 Illite I B/D Veinselvage 200 15.6 -52 9.6 -37
P127 Illite I B Vein selvage 200 15.9 -69 9.9 -54
PS17 Illite I B Phyllicalteration 200 15.1 -70 9.1 -55
P41 Roscoelite II D Qz-roscvein 165 -68 -48
P43 Roscoelite II D Qz-roscvein 165 13.3 -66 5.4 -46
RJR-8 Epidote Propylitic Epidotealteration 200 to 300 6.9 -29 5.9 -29 to -4
RJR-28 Epidote Propylitic Epidotealteration 200 to 300 6.9 -33 5.9 -33 to -8
RJR-39 Epidote Propylitic Epidotealteration 200 to 300 -50 -50 to -25
RJR-20 Biotite Igneous Interstitial 600 6.8 -83 9.3 -63
RJR-46 Biotite Igneous Interstitial 600 6.2 -72 8.7 -52
RJR-6 Hornblende Igneous Phenocryst 700 5.4 -69 7.9 -49
RJR-26 Hornblende Igneous Ophitic 700 5.8 -78 8.3 -58
RJR-28 Hornblende Igneous Ophitic 700 6.3 -77 8.8 -57
PW1 Water Modern Mine water -13.3 -95 -13.3 -95
PW4 Water Modern Mine water - 13.1 -93 - 13.1 -93
Abbreviations:
f.g.= fine-grained,
py= pyrite,qz = quartz,sl= sphalerite
• SeeTable1 fordescriptionofparagenesis
• Estimated
temperatures,
except
forquartz
where
T = Th,v•
+ 25øC
3 fid forquartzsamples
fromanalysis
of contained
fluidinclusions
PORGERA
AUDEPOSIT,
PAPUA
NEWGUINEA 1035
TABLE 5. SulfurIsotopeDataforSulfides
andSulfates
fromthePorgeraAuDeposit
•34Sso
4 n A34Ssl_gn
•34Spy •34Ss1 •34Sg 2
Sampleno. Stage Paragenesis
• Description (%0) (%0) (%0) (%0) (%0) T(øC)2
Disseminatedpy 1.4
RJR-6 Propylitic
Disseminatedpy 2.0
RJR-8 Propylitic
Disseminatedpy 2.9
RJR-10 Propylitic
Disseminatedpy 4.5
RJR-20 Propylitic
Disseminatedpy 2.5
RJR-26 Propylitic
Disseminatedpy 1.4
RJR-28 Propylitic
Disseminatedpy 3.4
RJR-30 Propylitic
Disseminatedpy 2.8
RJR-39 Propylitic
Disseminatedpy 2.3
RJR-44 Propylitic
Pl19 I B Disseminatedpy 4.8
PS11 I B Disseminatedpy 5.2
PSl13 I B Disseminatedpy 2.8
PSl19 I B Disseminatedpy 2.4
P21 I A Veto 3.5 3.0
Vein 5.4 3.7 1.7 380
P35(2) I A
Vein 4.3 2.9 1.5 430
P35(3) I a
P36 I A Veto 4.2 3.6
P54 I A Veto 4.4 3.7
P55 I A Vein 4.3 2.6
P58 I A Vein 4.7 3.3 1.4 440
P103 I A Vein 4.9
Vein 4.1 2.9
vii6 I A/B
Pl19 I A Vein 5.2
P121 I A Vein 4.2 4.7
P122 I A Vein 3.7
P131 I A Veto 4.7
P137 I A Vein 3.6
P145 I A Vein 4.6 3.4
PS3 I A Vein 4.4 2.4 2.0 330
PS23 I A Vein 4.0
PS144 I A Vein 4.0 3.4
PS145 I A Vein 4.2 5.0 3.1 1.8 350
Vein 2.4
el4 I/II A/D
Vein 4.0
P146 I/II A/D
Vein 1.2
P123 I/II A/D
P39 II D Veto -11.4
P43 II D on B Disseminatedpy -1.6
P49 II D on B Disseminatedpy -10.3
P62 II D Vein -13.4
P72 II D Vein -13.3
P148 II D Vein -14.0
P47 I Late A Vuggy gypsum 14.5
P122 I Late A Vuggy gypsum 16.0
P85 II Late D Vuggyanhydrite 20.6
P137 II Late D Vuggybarite 22.2
Abbreviations:
gn= galena,py = pyrite,sl = sphalerite
1SeeTable1 for description
of paragenesis
2A34Ss•_gn
andtemperature
values
werecalculated
before
rounding
634S
values
toonedecimal
place
tite are commonly

bles 3 to 6. The data are summarized below and then pristineandhavebeenseparated
discussed forhydrother- for analysis
in termsoftheirimplications fromeightsamples. Theb•soandbDval-
malprocesses andthesourcesofvolatilesandsolutes. ues of thesemineralsare tightlygroupedandaverage
6.0 _+0.4 per mil and-76 _+4 per mil, respectively
Primaryigneous minerals (Table4).
Propyliticalterationhasaffectedthe entire Por- Propyliticalteration
geraintrusivecomplexto somedegree,with the re-
suitthat originalO and H isotopecompositions of Secondary epidotesfrom propyliticalterationin
whole-rocksamplesare not generallypreserved. igneous rocksyieldb•so= 6.9 permil andbD -- -50
However,one sampleof leastalteredigneousrock to -29 permil,whereas twosamples ofalteredintru-
gaveb•so = 8.8 per mil (Table3). In contrast,pri- sions yieldb•so= 9.3 and12.3 permil (Tables3 and
maryigneousmineralssuchashornblende andbio- 4). Theseresultscontrastwith the compositions of
TA•IaZ6. CarbonandOxygenIsotopeData for MineralsandWhole Rocksfromthe PorgeraAu Deposit
•3 C •80 •80•2o
Sampleno. Stageor lithology Paragenesis
• Mineral (%o) (%o) (%o)
P21.C1 I A Mn-carb -6.4 15.7 5.7
P21 .C2 I A Mn-carb -5.1 18.3 8.3
P35 I A Mn-carb -5.2 17.2 7.2
P36 I A Mn-carb -6.7 15.7 5.7
P38.C1 I A Mn-carb -7.1 14.8 4.8
P38.C2 I A Mn-carb -6.5 17.4 7.4
P42.C1 I A Mn-carb -4.5 17.6 7.6
P42.C2 I A Mn-carb -5.0 18.2 8.2
P42.C3 I A Mn-carb -5.5 16.7 6.7
P42.C4 I A Mn-carb -5.1 17.6 7.6
P42.C5 I A Mn-carb -5.5 17.0 7.0
P101 I A Dolomite -5.0 15.6 5.6
P119.C1 I A Calcite -5.6 15.0 5.0
P131.C1 I A Mn-carb -5.1 17.7 7.7
P 131 .C2 I A Mn-carb -6.0 15.3 5.3
P145 I A Calcite -6.6 15.6 5.6
PS3 I A Dolomite -5.9 15.0 5.0
P119.C2 I B Calcite -6.3 13.9
P 119.C3 I B Calcite -6.3 13.8
P84 II? Late vuggyD? Calcite -6.3 20.9
P 119.C4 I Late vuggyB Calcite -2.8 19.5
P 123 I Late vuggyA Dolomite - 1.6 22.8
P 147 I Late vuggyA Dolomite -3.7 17.6
P149 II? Late vuggyD? Calcite -3.2 17.3
P 139 Chim Fro. CS Whole rock - 1.2 19.7
P143 Nipa Gp. limestone Whole rock 1.2 28.4
P144 Om Fm. CS Whole rock -1.6 14.4
PS 126 Chim Fm. CA Whole rock - 1.8 16.9
PSI 51 ChimFm. CA, pyritic Whole rock -4.1 14.5
P31 Chim Fro. CS, pyritic Whole rock -5.2 16.2
P40 Chim Fm. CS, pyritic Whole rock -5.3 18.1
P44 Chim Fm. CS, pyritic Whole rock -4.3 16.4
Abbreviations:
CS -- carbonaceoussiltstone,CA -- calc-arenite,
Fm. -- Formation,Gp. -- Group,Mn-carb-- Mn-Fe-Ca-Mgcarbonate
• SeeTableI for description
of paragenesis
2Calculated
assuming
A•3Cc•-•onate-•2o
• 10 permilat 200øC
primaryigneousmineralsandonesampleof leastal- fidesfromstageI mineralization rangefrom•a4S=

tered igneousrock(above)andsuggest that propyl- 2.4 to 5.4 per mil, but individualmineralsfrombase
itic alterationwasthe productof subsolidus hydro- metal sulfide veins show smallervariations(e.g.,
thermalactivity. •348galen
a= 2.4-3.7%0,
•348sphalerite
= 4.3-5.4%0;
Table
Sulfurisotopecompositions of disseminated pyrite5). Carbonandoxygenisotopecompositions of ten
fromninesamples of propyliticallyalteredintrusivesamplesof Mn-Fe-Ca-Mgcarbonates that immedi-
rockrangefrom$34S-- 1.4 to 4.5 per mil (Table5). ately postdatethe main stageof sulfidedeposition
butpredatelatevuggyquartzshowa narrowrangeof
StageI mineralization C andO isotopecompositions from-7.1 to -4.5 per
Oxygenisotopecompositions of four samples
of il- mil and 14.8 to 18.3 per mil, respectively,including
litc from phyllic alterationzonesand quartzfrom somesampleswhere up to five individualgrowth
stageI veinsrangefrom$•80 = 13.8 to 22.4 per mil, bandswere analyzed(Table6).
and $D values for illitc and three bulk fluid inclusion
samples fromquartzrangefrom-70 to -50 per mil StageII mineralization
(Table4). Sericitizedigneousrocksare significantly The valuesof bulk analysesof fluid inclusionsin
enrichedin •80 relativeto oneleastalteredsample vuggyquartz from nine samplesof stageII veins
($1sO-- 12.5-15.6%0comparedwith 8.8%0,respec- rangefrom$D.•o= -62 to -34 permilandinclude
tively),whereassericitizedsedimentaryrocksarede- resultsfrom two differentquartzgrowthbandsin a
pletedwith respectto their protoliths($•sO= 12.4 singlesample (P2)whichgave$D.•o= -48 and-46
and 12.6%0comparedwith 13.7 and 16.8%0,respec- per mil (Table4). The i•sO valuesOfthe hostquartz
of sul- crystals
tively; Table 3). Sulfurisotopecompositions rangefrom 16.6 to 18.9 per mil, with little
PORGERA
variationbetweendifferentgrowthbandsfrom indi- fall withinthe rangeof primarymagmatic watersob-

vidualsamples (exceptin sampleP18 wherethe dif- servedworldwide(b180= 5.5 to 9.5%0,andbD = -80
ferenceis 2.0%0). Valuesof blSOi•2o werecalculatedto -40%0;Sheppard,1986;Table4 andFig. 13).
at the estimatedtemperaturesof vein formationus-
ingthefractionation equation of Claytonet al. (1972) Propyliticalteration
andare listedin Table 4. In addition,two samples of Fluid inclusiondatapresentedabovesuggest that
roscoelitefromstageII veinsgivebD = -68 and-66 epidote(b180= 6.9%0,bD = -50 to -29%0)in propy-
per mil andb180= 13.3 per mil (onesampleonly). litically altered igneousrocksformed at tempera-
Theb18OH20 andbD•i•ovalues havebeencalculatedtures of up to 450øC. If the zoisite-H20 systemis
from thesedataat 165øCusingthe equationsof Es- usedasan upperlimit for epidote-HzOoxygeniso-
linger and Savin(1973), and Yeh (1980; extrapo- tope fractionation,then A18Oepidote_Hg O • 0 to 1 per
lated). rail,andthus,b180,•o• 6 permilforthesesamples
The bD valuesof five pyrite samplesintergrown (Matthewset al., 1983). The H isotopecompositions
with Auø in stageII veinsrangefrom-14.0 to -11.4 of 1 M NaC1solutionsin equilibriumwith epidote
per mil, andtwo samples of stageI disseminated py- havebeenstudiedby Grahamand$heppard(1980),
rite that havebeen overprintedby intensestageII whoconcluded thatADepiaote_Hz
O• -30 to -25 per
veininggivevaluesof -10.3 and-1.6 per mil (Table mil in the temperaturerange250ø to 450øC. How-
5). Insufficientmaterialwasavailableto extractbar- ever, these authorsalsofound that epidote under-
ite from its intergrowthswith quartz and ore min- goesrapidretrogressive H isotopeexchange to tem-
erals,but a sampleeachof late vuggybarite andan- peraturesdown to or below 200øC, under which
hydriteyieldedb34S = 22.2 and20.6 per mil, respec- conditions ADepidote_i_i•
o • 0 permil(Graham et al.,
tively. 1980).Thus,thezXDi•o offluidsinvolvedin propyl-
Carbonatesare not abundantwithin the mainstage itic alterationat Porgeraare estimatedto lie some-
of quartz-roscoelite-Au vein formation,although wherebetween-50 and-30 per mil, or -20 to 0 per
minor amountsof Mg-Mn-Fe-bearingcalcite were mil, dependingon the temperatureof equilibration
detectedby electronmicroprobein the fine-grained (Fig. 13). If it is assumed that epidotehaspreserved
silicarimsof somesamples. Largeeuhedraof calcite its high-temperatureisotope composition,then
or dolomitecommonlyformwithin late vugsin stage enrichedbDi•o valuesapproaching zero per mil
II veinsand alsoin basemetal sulfideveins. C, O, and couldbe explainedby the involvementof O isotope-
Sr isotopecompositions of theselate vuggycarbon- shiftedseawater.However,it is thoughtmorelikely
atesare highlyvariable(Table6; Richards,1990b),
suggesting postformation isotopicexchangeor pre-
cipitationfrom late, low-temperaturefluids unre-
lated to ore formation.Thus, no data are presently
availableto constrainthe isotopiccompositionof C
duringstageII mineralization. 0 '• Epidote • 300øC
Discussion
of StableIsotopeResults o
• • 2ooøc
Primary magmaticwater
Comparison of stableisotopecompositionsof horn-
blende and biotite from the Porgeraintrusivecom- -60 Porgera
agmatic
plex(b180= 6.0 + 0.4%0,bD = -76 + 4%0)with data -80 water
fromthe literatureshowsthatthesevaluesaretypical Global
magmatic
of hydrous ferromagnesianminerals from mafic -100 •r Porgera mine
.... I
water
.... I .... I
water
' I .... I ....
igneousrocks(where•80 = 5.0 to 6.6%0,bD = -90 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15

to -60%0; SheppardandTaylor, 1974; Bottingaand
Javoy,1975; Sheppardet al., 1977; Boettcherand •)18OsMow
O'Neil, 1980; Kyseret al., 1981; KyserandO'Neil,
F1(:;.13. CalculatedO m•dH isotopecomDositions oœwater
1984). Theseresultssuggestthat subsolidus isotopic equdibrium withigneous hornblende •d biotRe[romthe
exchangehasnot affectedthesemineralsamplesto •tmsive complex•d epidote[rompropyl•tic•]ter•tiomBecause
anysignificant degreeandthat the datamaybe used o[ u•cert•[nt[es regarding 6•] equfiibr•tio•temperatures
to estimatethe isotopiccomposition of H20 in equi- dote, v•lues c•lcui•ted •t •00 ø •d 300øC •e shown.Alsoshow•
librium with the Porgeramagmas.Calculatedvalues •re the composR•o•s o[ present-day groundw•ters[romthe Pot-
gemmine•d ther•ngeo[ compositions
[orm•gm•t[cw•terso•-
rangefrom•18Oi•2o
-- 7.9to 9.3permilandbDi•2o
-- servedglobally(Shepp•r&1986). Abbreviations:
•
-63 to -49 per mil (fractionation
factorsof Bottinga
andJavoy,1975, andSuzuokiandEpstein,1976) and
thatthe epidoteunderwentretrogressiveisotopicex- 4 Stage

II
changeat lowertemperatures (cf. GrahamandShep- 2 pydte
pard,1980)andthatthelowerinterpreted
•Di•2oval- 0
ues therefore reflect the involvement of low-latitude,

low-altitude meteoric water. The dominant involve- 4 Stage I vein
ephalerite
mentof groundwatersduringpropyliticalterationis
consistentwith fluid inclusiondatapresentedabove
andwith Sr isotopecompositions of propyliticallyal- Stage I vein
galena
tered igneousrocks(Richardset al., 1991b) which
are shiftedto moreradiogenicvalues,reflectingin-
corporation of Sr fromthe countryrocks.The possi-
Z 6
bility that magmaticfluidswere alsopresentduring StageI vein
4 pyrite
the early stagesof propyliticalterationis alsosug-
gestedby the localizedpresence of somehigh-salin-
ity fluidinclusions, but availablestableisotopedata Dleaeminated
are inadequateto providemoredetailedconstraints 0
et•-_-•e
I pyrite
,
on thishypothesis. 2
Diaaeminated
Oxygenisotopecompositions of propyliticallyal- 0
tered igneousrocksare variablyshiftedto higher -12 -8 -4 o 1 2 3 4 5
•80 values(up to 12.3%0;Table 3), reflectinglocal •34ScD

T
interactionat highwater/rockratioswith theserela-
FIG. 14. Histogramof S isotopecompositions of sulfidesfrom
tively•SO-enriched
ground
waters(b]sOi•2o
• 6%0). earlypropyliticalterationandmineralization
stagesI andII.
The degreeof isotopicenrichmentin the rocksde-
pendsontheextentandaveragetemperature ofalter-
ation, with feldspar-destructive sericitizationand
carbonatization at relativelylow temperatures result- havebeen calculatedusingthe fractionationequa-
ing in the highestvalues. tionsof Eslingerand Savin(1973) andYeh (1980).
Disseminatedpyrite associated with propylitical- Illite and smectite are assumed to show similar
terationisslightlyenrichedin 34Scompared withthe ADmi ....I-HzO behavior,and Yeh's(1980) datafor
typicalrangeof primarysulfidesfrommaficandul- smectites areextrapolated to 200øC.Note,however,
tramaficrocks(b34S= 1.4 to 4.5%0,versus-1 to thatthereisa greatdealof uncertaintyregardingthe
+2%0,respectively;OhmotoandRye, 1979; seeTa- fractionationbehaviorof H betweenclay minerals
ble 5 andFig. 14). However,thesecompositions are andH20 at thesetemperatures,anda linearextrapo-
withintherangeofpyritesfromporphyrycopperde- lation of Yeh's data may be inappropriate(Kyser,
posits(-5.5 to +6.5%0;Taylor,1987), andthe range 1987a).Thus,A]sOil•ite_i•o andADillite.Hg
Oareconser-
of whole-rockb34Sfrom magnetiteseriesgranitoids vativelyestimatedto be +6 per mil and-15 per mil,
(1.6-12.5%0;Ishiharaand Sasaki,1989, and refer- respectively,but with uncertaintiespossiblyasgreat
encestherein).Enrichmentin 34Srelativeto anaver- as+10 per mil for AD. Acceptingthesedeficiencies,
agemantlevalueof 1.3 per mil (OhmotoandRye, compositions of fluidin equilibriumwith illite calcu-
1979) may reflect minor admixtureof seawaterS latedfromthesedatarangefromb]sOi•o= 9.1 to
(b•4S• 20%0),either derivedfrom the sedimentary 10.4permilandbDi•zo -- -55 to -37 permil(Table
countryrocksduringhydrothermalalterationor via 4) andcanbe seento overlaptherangefor magmatic
subduction processes affectingthe mantlesourcere- waterat Porgera(Fig. 15). Cautionisrequired,how-
gion prior to magmagenesis (Ishihara and Sasaki, ever, before an interpretationin termsof magmatic
1989; Ionov et al., 1992). fluid origincanbe applied,becauseit mightbe ex-
pectedthat duringcoolingfrommagmatictempera-
StageI disseminated mineralization turesto -'-'200øCthe fluid wouldhave undergone
The O and H isotopecompositions of illite from retrogressive isotopicexchangewith the hostrocks,
zonesof intensephyllicalterationandfromvein sel- resulting in enrichment in D anddepletion in ]sO(cf.
vagesclusterbetweenb]sO= 15.1 to 16.4 per mil Campbellet al., 1984b).Otherpotentialeffects,such
andbD = -70 to -52 per mil (Table4). The inferred asisotopicpreconditioning of the rocksduringpro-
trappingtemperatures of associated type 1 hypersa- pylitic alteration,or overprintingby later ground
line fluidinclusions suggest thatillite formedat tem- waters,complicate thepicturefurther.However,the
peraturesof 200ø to 210øC, in agreementwith its data couldonly be consistentwith the soleinvolve-
relativelydisordered1Md structuralstate(Richards mentof groundwatersat verylow water/rockratios
and McDougall, 1990). Isotopic compositionsof (seediscussion of stageII fluidsbelowandFig. 15),
fluidsin equilibriumwith illite at thesetemperatures whereasthe pervasivenatureof the stageI phyllic
PORGERA
AU DEPOSIT,PAPUANEW GUINEA 1039
ß , , i ....
lic alterationzones(9.1-10.4%o).In comparison,sam-

plesof latevuggyquartzfromtheseveinsarecharac-
0
t./)
Stage
'll I
0 • Stagelillite
Latestage
IIquartz
•l -20 Stage
II
I quartzII
Saccharoidal
roscoelite•?
Late
•,
Miocene
J
/ ß
quartz• /SMOW
•.oo
¸
o._•o
o.•s•
o.,o
•---"•"%^
terized by •1sO = 16.9 to 20.2 per mil, which
corresponds
clusions
to a rangeof •xso•i•o-- 2.7 to 6.1 per
mil at estimatedtemperatures
fromoneofthesesamples
of-formation;
fluidin-
(P122)gave•D•i•o
= -58 per mil (Table4). Similarly,
•xso•i•o
values
•oO
'40waters?
meteorl/
-60
OOd•ø'øl,•.oo calculatedfrom the isotopiccompositionsof low-
temperaturevuggyquartz cementingB-type brec-
ciasand forminglate saccharoidal
veinsrangefrom
Po•rgera
Porgera
-80 magmatic
water 2.5to 5.6permil,with•Du•o= -52 and-50 permil
mine water for fluid inclusionsin the vein samples(PS76,PS77;
Table 4). Thesedata suggestthat the high-tempera-
-15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15
ture type 2 fluidswhich were responsiblefor base
51SOsMow metalsulfidedepositionmayhavecontaineda signifi-
cant magmaticwater component.In contrast,later
FIG. 15. CalculatedO andH isotopecompositions of waterin fluidswhich depositedbarren vuggyquartz were
equilibriumwithveinandalterationminerals fromthePorgeraAu
deposit.Waterin equilibrium
with stageI illitc overlapsthe Por- characterized by relativelydepletedO isotopecom-
geramagmaticwater box,but all later fluidsscatterto lowervalues positionsand were probably largely of external,
of •8OH2o,suggesting
the involvement
of externally
derived groundwater origin.
groundwaters.Isotopicexchange
pathscalculated
fortwopossible Analysesof pyrite, sphalerite,and galenafrom 19
late Miocenemeteoricwater compositions at 200øC are also basemetalsulfideveinsamples rangefrom•34S= 2.4
shown;italicizednumbersindicatewater/rockratios.Abbrevia-
tionsas in Figure 13. to 5.4 per mil andoverlapthe rangefor disseminated
stageI pyrite (2.4-5.2%0)andpropyliticpyrite (1.4-
4.5%0;Table 5 andFig. 14). Thesedatasuggestthat
alteration suggestsconditionsof fluid dominance. the sourceof S remained unchangedthroughout
Preservationof the originalfluid isotopiccomposi- thesehydrothermalprocesses and wasprobablyof
tion is consideredpossibleunder theseconditions, magmaticorigin.Sphaleriteandgalenaare typically
therefore,allowingthe possibilitythat the fluidsin- intimatelyintergrown,and temperaturescalculated
volvedin phyllicalterationwere largelyof magmatic from A•4Sz,,s.•s fall within the range330ø to 440øC
origin. (OhmotoandRye, 1979). Thesevaluesare somewhat
Sulfurisotopecompositions of four samplesof dis- higher than the averagetrapping temperature of
seminatedpyrite from stageI ore rangefrom 2.4 to type 2 fluid inclusions(•325øC) and suggestthat
5.2 per mil (Table5 andFig. 14). Thesevaluesover- sphaleriteandgalenawerein onlyapproximate isoto-
lap the rangefor pyrite from propyliticallyaltered pic equilibriumat the time of their formation.Pyrite
rocks (1.4-4.5%0) and suggestthat S was derived paragenetically immediatelyprecedesthe deposition
fromthe same(magmatic)sourceduringbothhydro- of theseminerals,andalthoughall three sulfidesare
thermalevents.Variationswithin the approximately commonlyin mutual contact,temperaturescalcu-
3 per mil rangeof the data may have resultedfrom lated frompyrite-galenapairsare oftenwell in excess
fluctuations
in fo• duringsulfidedeposition,which of 500øC,andtherefore,clearlyindicatedisequilib-
cancause significant
changesin fluid•34S•i•s
values
in rium. At 325øC, isotopicfractionationbetweenH•S
the field of pyrite stability(Ohmoto,1972). andsphaleriteiscloseto zeroper mil, whereaspyrite
is enrichedin a4Sby abouti per mil (Ohmotoand
StageI basemetalsulfideveinmineralization Rye, 1979). Thus, the fluid from which pyrite was
Oxygen and hydrogen isotope compositionsof deposited
wascharacterized
by •a4Su•
s • 3 per
fluids involved in base metal sulfide vein mineraliza- mil, whereasat the time of sphaleritedepositionthis
tionaredifficultto constrain,because quartzandhy- valuewas•5 permil(avg•4S•s• = 4.1 _ 0.4%0, n=
drousmineralsdirectlyassociated with sulfidesare 13; avg•34Sz,•s = 4.8 _ 0.3%0;n = 8). This+2 per rail
rare. However, quartz intergrownwith sphalerite change in •a4S•i•smayreflecttheearlyprecipitation
fromsampleP121has•80 = 13.8permil.Assuming of large quantitiesof pyrite, resultingin removalof
growthat • 350øC (theestimatedtrappingtempera- isotopicallydepleted aqueoussulfide and a shift
ture for type 2 fluid inclusionsin quartz from this of(•348•s(ttuid)to
higher values(el.Ohmoto, 1986).This
sample), a valueof•180•o • 8.6permilcanbecal- hypothesisis discussedfurther in the "Synthesis"
culatedusingthe fractionation factorsof Claytonet section.
al. (1972).Thisvalueiswithinthe rangeof magmatic Carbonand oxygenisotopecompositions of late
watersat Porgeraand is similarto compositions cal- Mn-Fe-Ca-Mgcarbonates clustertightly at •1sO=
culatedfor fluidsin equilibriumwith illitc fromphyl- 16.5 _ 1.2 per rail and•1•C = -5.7 _ 0.7 per mil (n =
17; Table 6 and Fig. 16). No workablefluid inclu- -63 to -49%o). In contrast,they are indistinguish-
sionswere found in these carbonates,but if a rela- able in terms of both O and H isotopecompositions
tively low temperatureof formationof 200øC is as- fromfluidsresponsible for stageI saccharoidal
quartz
sumed, comparableto temperaturesfrom later veinformation (Fig.15).Thelow•lSOI_i, o values
of
quartz,thenA13Ccarbonate_Hz
O • 10 per mil (using a stageII fluidsindicatethat they were dominatedby
short extrapolationof experimentalfractionation groundwatersof probablemeteoricorigin,although
data for dolomitefrom Matthews and Katz, 1977). the presenceof a smalladditionalmagmaticcompo-
Compositions of waterin equilibriumwith thesecar- nent cannot be ruled out. Some of the scatter in
bonate
minerals
therefore
rangefromblSOH,
o • 5 to •DI-i2o
valuesmayreflectproblems
withbulkfluidin-
8 per mil andare closelysimilarto valuescalculated clusionanalysis(cf. Foley et al., 1989), but it is also
from late quartz.The C isotopecompositions, on the possiblethat phaseseparation,as suggested above,
otherhand,areindistinguishable from•13Cvaluesof hascausedvariabledegreesof isotopicfractionation
mantle-derivedrocks(-5 __2%0;Ohmoto and Rye, to moredeuterium-enriched compositions (cf.Trues-
1979) but distinctfromthe compositions of localun- dell et al., 1977).
alteredsedimentaryrocks(-1.8 to +1.2%o;Table 6 Isotopiccompositions of sulfidesfrom stageII
andFig. 16), suggesting that muchof the C carried veinsandwall-rockalterationare quite distinctfrom
by these fluidswas of magmaticorigin (assuming the isotopiccompositions of sulfidesfrom undis-
z • 0 per mil at thesetemperatures,turbedstageI ore (•34S-- -14.0 to -1.6%ocompared
A13Ccarbonate_CO
andfo2 wellaboveconditions atwhichCO2/CH4= 1). with 2.4 to 5.4%0,respectively)and suggesteither
Moreover,sedimentaryrocksaffectedby hydrother- that the sourceof S changedbetween these two
mal alteration(pyritization,carbonatization) assume eventsor that a significantshiftin redoxconditions
bulk isotopiccompositions similarto the vein carbon- occurred.The lack of independentevidencefor a
ate minerals(b180= 14.5 to 18.1%o,blaC= -5.3 to changein the sourceof solutesfromstageI to stageII
-4.1%o; Table 6 and Fig. 16), suggesting metaso- (Richardset al., 1991b) andthe occurrenceofhypo-
maticintroduction,ratherthanleaching,of carbon- genesulfates in stageII veinssuggest thatthe second
ate by thesefluids. alternativeis morelikely. Thesedataandtheir impli-
Thus,it is concludedthat the isotopiccompositions cationsfor metallogenic processes are discussed fur-
of earlyfluidsanddissolved S andC fromstageI base ther in the "Synthesis"section.
metal sulfideveinsare consistentwith a dominantly
magmaticoriginfor thesecomponents but that later Isotopicevolutionof stageII hydrothermal fluidsand
fluidsmainlyconsistedof groundwaters. implications for the timing of oreformation
The isotopiccompositions of stageII ore fluids
StageII mineralization have been modeledin terms of exchangebetween
Fluid compositions calculatedfrom analysesof meteoricwatersand sedimentarycountryrocks.In
vein minerals and fluid inclusions cluster between the absenceof detailedisotopicandgeochemical in-
51sOI_i,.o
-- 2.0to5.4permiland5DH•o = -62 to-34 formationfor theserocks,the valuesgivenby Field
per mil (Table 4 and Fig. 15). These values are and Fifarek (1985) for typicalsedimentaryhostse-
moredepleted in termsof51sOI_i,o
butaresimilar in quences to epithermaldeposits havebeenused(•lSO
termsof 5DI-i,ocomparedwith valuesfor Porgera = 16%oand •D -- -80%0, with 50 wt % O and 0.28 wt
magmatic waters(5•sOI_i•o
-- 7.9 to 9.3%0,5DI-i•o
= % H). Fluid evolutionwasmodeledat 200øC assum-
ing isotopicexchangewith illitc (AisOillite_HzO
_ 6%0,
--
,l,l,l,lll,l,l,
andADillite_H•.O
= --15%o;
seecautions above). Theex-
changetrajectoriesof two meteoricwaterswith ini-
tial 6D = -30 and-65 per mil areshownin Figure 15
• 2o ß Stage I veincarbonate
and canbe seento encompass the rangeof stageII
o
[] LatestageII ca•cite
ore fluidsat water/rockratiosof between0.5 and
C• •8 /• Least-altered sediment 0.25. Modern meteoricwaterswith thesecomposi-
ß Pyriticsediment tions are not unusual at low altitudes in Melanesia
•o 16
(e.g., 6D • -45%o at Panguna,elev = 600-800 m;
Ford and Green, 1977), althoughat sealevel values
are closerto -25 per mil (Chivaset al., 1984). The
proposedisotopiccompositions of meteoricwaters
•13CpD B involvedwith oreformationat Porgeraarequitedif-
ferentfrompresent-day values(6D • -94%o,elev•
FIG. 16. C and O isotopecompositions of Mn-Fe-Ca-Mg-car-
bonatesfrom stageI basemetalsulfideveins,late vuggycalcites 2,500 m) andindicatethat stageII hydrothermal ac-
from stageII veins,and disseminatedcarbonatesin leastaltered tivity occurredwhen the deposit was at much lower
andpyritizedsedimentary rocksfromthe Porgeraarea. altitudes.This observationin turn requiresthat ore
PORGERA
AUDEPOSIT,
PAPUA
NEWGUINEA 1041
formationoccurredpriorto the earlyPlioceneconti- dominantly aqueous (cf.Larsenet al., 1992). No pri-

nent-islandarc collisionevent,which subsequently maryfluidinclusionswerefoundin igneousminerals,
upliftedand deformedthe region.A similarconclu- but moderatelyhigh-salinity,apparentlycalcicsec-
sionwasreachedby RichardsandMcDougall(1990), ondaryinclusions foundin somelargeapatitepheno-
who showedthat hydrothermalactivityhad ceased crystsmay representresidualmagmaticfluids.that
by the end of the Miocene. have back-reacted with their mafic source rocks
under subsolidus conditions.
Synthesis:
Metallogenyof the PorgeraGold Deposit AlthoughAu mineralizationis not associated with
In the followingsection,the evolutionof hydro- thisearlystageof deutericto propyliticalterationin
thermal activity at Porgerais traced from early the shallow-level stocks, the features noted above
ground-waterinteractionwith the coolingshallow- suggestthe potentialfor the evolutionof largervol-
leveligneous complex, throughthedevelopment of a umesof fluidduringcrystallization of the sourceplu-
metalliferous magmatic hydrothermal system,andfi- ton at depth. Richardsand McDougall(1990) sug-
nallyto overprinting andremobilization of stageI ore gestedthat earlydegassing of thisplutonin response
by heatedgroundwaters(stageII). Mechanisms for to depressurization wasresponsible for the lossof ex-
the depositionof Au duringthe mainstagesof ore cess 4øAr from all but the earliest shallow-level intru-
formationareconsidered, andthe roleof magmatism sions,but this first boiling event probablyonly in-
in metallogenesis is discussed. volvedthe exsolution of dry gasesdominatedby CO2
(e.g., Mathez, 1989). Lessvolatilecomponents such
Hydrothermalevolution asH20, C1,S,andmetalsmayhavepartitionedexten-
Propyliticstage:The earliesthydrothermalactivity sivelyinto the volatilephaseonly after moreexten-
observedat Porgerawasassociated with the shallow- sivecrystallization of the pluton.This scenariomay
level emplacement of stocksanddikeswhichconsti- explainwhy metalliferous hydrothermalactivityap-
tute the currently exposedPorgeraintrusivecom- pearsto postdateemplacement of all of the exposed
plex. Geochemicaland geophysical evidenceindi- intrusions,with the possibleexceptionof a suiteof
cates that these small intrusions were derived late feldspar porphyry dikes (Richards, 1990a;
sequentiallyfrom a larger, fractionatingmagma Richardset al., 1991b).
chamberlocatedbeneaththe complex(Henry, 1988; StageI: Evidencefor the involvementof fluidsof
Richards,1990a). Stratigraphicconsiderations sug- directmagmaticoriginin ore formationat Porgerais
gest that the stocksand dikes were emplacedat only clearly visible in the earliest mineralization
depthsof 2 to 3 km below palcogroundlevel in stages,where hypersalinefluid inclusions are found
poorlylithified argillaceous to arenaceous sedimen- in association with zonesof intensephyllicalteration
tary rocksand solidifiedrapidly with little internal containing disseminated auriferouspyrite.Stableiso-
differentiationand only minor contact metamor- tope compositions of illitc from these alteration
phismaroundthe largeststocks.Coolingof the intru- zonesare arguablyconsistentwith formationfrom
sionsappearsto havebeenacceleratedby interaction magmaticfluids.Similarly,C andS isotopecomposi-
with circulatingground waters, which resultedin tions of carbonates and sulfides from associated base
variabledegreesof propyliticalterationthroughout metal sulfideveinsare consistentwith an igneous
the intrusive complex.Homogenizationtempera- source of these componentsin the ore-forming
turesof fluid inclusions in secondary calcitesuggest system.
that hydrothermalalterationoccurredat tempera- By analogywith modelsfor porphyrycopperevo-
turesof up to '--450øC andpressures of ---450 bars. lution, it is suggested that these early hypersaline
Maximumtemperatureswere limitedby the onsetof fluids,and perhapsalsoa componentof the lower
criticalconditions.Radicalchangesin fluid proper- salinityfluidsinvolvedwith stageI vein deposition,
ties,includingdramaticdecreases in viscosity, occur were derivedthroughsecondboilingin the parental
nearthe criticalpoint,andfluidswouldhaverapidly magmachamberlocatedbeneaththe exposedore-
convected awayfromthe heatsourceascriticaltem- body and intrusivecomplex(cf. Cline and Bodnar,
peratureswere approached(e.g.,Dunn andHardee, 1991). The relatively low temperaturesof these
1981; BischoffandRosenbauer, 1984). brinescompared withtypicalporphyry-type deposits
The mineralogyandtexturesobservable in the in- (Table7) suggest thattheywerederivedfromdepths
trusiverockssuggestthat the parentalmagmawas well belowthe presentsurfaceandcooled(andpre-
volatilerich and moderatelyoxidizedandthat exso- cipitatedhalite)duringascent.A corollaryof thisob-
lution of a vaporphaseoccurredduringemplace- servationisthat largervolumesof hotter,moresaline
mentin response to depressurization andcrystalliza- fluidprobablyexistedat deeperlevelsin the hydro-
tion.On thebasisof analysis of primarymiaroliticand thermalsystemandthatthesefluidsmayhavedepos-
interstitialmineral compositions, Richards(1990a) ited additionalzonesof ore.Deep drillingto testsuch
suggested that this fluid phasewas NaC1rich and an hypothesishasnot been undertakento date.
TABra7. Characteristics
ofPorgera
StageI Mineralization
Compared
withTypicalPorphyry
CopperDeposits
Parameter PorgerastageI Porphyrycopperdeposits

Geodynamic
setting Continent-island are collision Destructiveplate margins
zone (backare)
Associated
igneousrocks Na-rich alkali gabbrosand Calc-alkaline
diorite;K-richsyenogabbro
differentiates to alkali syenite (shoshoniticsuite
porphyryCu-Au)
Mineralizationstyles Disseminated auriferous Disseminated Cu-Fe sulfides and
pyrite; base metal sulfide stockworkswith low Au/Cu; where
veinswith minorAuø;high present, Au accompaniesCu in
Au/Cu potassiczone or asperipheralveins
Observedalterationstyles Phyllic,prophylitic,(rare Potassic,phyllic,argil]ic,propylitic,
skarn) (skarn)
Alteration associated with lnineralization Phyllic Potassic,(phyllic)
Occurrenceof high-salinity
fluids •32 equiv. wt. % NaC1, 30 to >50 equiv. wt % NaCI, 250 ø to
•200øC >700øC
Occurrenceof lowersalinityfluids 7 to 12 equiv. wt. % NaC1, <20 equiv. wt. % NaC], 200 ø to 450øC
<200 ø to 400øC
bxso,bDof magmatic
fluids(%0) b•sO•12o
= 7.9to 9.3 bXSOla•O
= 5.5to9.5
fiD•12o
= -63 to -49 bD•l•O= -80 to -40
bxsO,
bDof earlyore-forming
fluids(%0) fi•sOit•o
= 9.1to 10.4 blSOla2O
• 7 to9
6D•l•O= -50 to -32 bDia•o• -55
ba4Sof sulfides
(%0) b•4S= +1 to +5.5 1134S
= --5.5 to +6.5
biaCofcarbonates(%0) b•xC -- -7 to -3.5 bxaC = -8 to -2
Sourceof earlyfluids Dominantlymagmatic Dominantlymagmatic
Source of later fluids Externalgroundwaters Externalgroundwaters
Source of carbon and sulfur Magmatic Magmatic
Source of ore metals Magmatic Magmatic
Dataforporphyries summarizedfroinLowellandGullbert(1970),Roedder (1971),Sheppard

et al. (1971),Taylor(1974),Hollister
(1975),Barret al. (1976),Nash(1976),Kesleret al. (1977),Eastoe(1978),Feiss(1978),AhlnadandRose(1980),BeaneandTitley
(1981),Sillitoe(1983b,1988),Sheppard (1986),Bowlnan et al. (1987),Taylor(1987)
StageII: Followingthe deposition

of stageI ore, moto, 1985; ReedandSpycher,1985; Brown,1989;
the depositwasengulfedby low-temperature, rela- NadenandShepherd,1989; Seward,1989; Bowers,
tively dilute fluids,with characteristics
similarto the 1991).
earlygroundwatersinvolvedin propyliticalteration One problemwith this modelis that, with the ex-
of the barren stocks and dikes. Those fluids which ceptionof a singletrail of vapor-richinclusionsnoted
simplypermeatedthe phylliczone,andwhichwere above,no evidencefor phaseseparationis preserved
probablyof local(i.e.,shallow)derivation,donotap- in the fluidinclusionrecordfromstageII mineraliza-
pearto havesignificantly alteredthe configurationof tion at Porgera.However,if it is assumedthat flash-
the orebodybut simplydepositedlow-temperature ing was a brief, transientphenomenon,occurring
mineralssuchasquartzandcarbonate in remaining onlyduringthe actualopeningof the vein, then the
porespaces.In contrast,fluidsdirectlyinvolvedwith lackof evidencefor phaseseparation maysimplyre-
stageII high-gradevein formationappearto have flect the fact that no fluid inclusionswere trapped
been derived from deeper levels in the system, duringthisinitialstageof turbulenthydrothermalac-
tappedby late extensional structuressuchastheRoa- tivity. Instead,thiseventismarkedby the deposition
manefault.Theymayhavebeenundera significant of very fine grainedor amorphoussilicaand minor
overpressure at depth(i.e.,P•uia>>Phydrostatie)
assug- amountsof fine-grainedcarbonateand barite (cf.
gestedby thebrecciatednatureoftheveins.It ispro- Holland and Malinin, 1979; Fournier, 1985a,b;
posedthatmoderateconcentrations of CO2(andper- Cookeand Bloom,1990). For flashingto haveoc-
hapsothergases)in thesefluidsresultedin flashing curredin thesefluidsat the assumed
depthsof 2 to 3
during rapid ascentalong these active structures. km,fluidpressures
wouldneedto havedroppedfrom
Subsequent
changes
inpHandfo2
andthelossofvola- the estimated ambient value of '-•450 bars to be-
tiles includingH2Sto the vaporphasewouldhave tween200 and 300 bars(the estimatedvaporpres-
destabilized Au dissolved
asbisulfidecomplexes,
re- surein type 4 fluidinclusions
at 165øC).Theselower
suitingin richoredeposition
(cf.open-system,
excess pressuresare close to hydrostaticvaluesat these
enthalpyboilingmodelof SpycherandReed,1989; depthsandarethereforenotunreasonable if faulting
see discussionbelow, and also Drummond and Oh- resultedin hydraulicconnection to the surface.Fluid
pressuretransients of thismagnitudehavebeenre- Ohmoto,1991;Johnson et al., 1991). The significant

cordedon activenormalfaults,andphaseseparation decreasein pH attendingmineraldepositionby this
resulting fromthisprocess hasbeensuggested to pro- mechanism mayhavebeenoffsetin partby hydroly-
moterupturepropagation(ParryandBruhn,1990). sis reactions in the wall rock.
Flashingwouldhaveceased whendissolved gascon- Supportingevidencefor the operationof sucha
centrations in the fluid fell to saturation levels,and/ process isfoundin the Sisotopecompositions of vein
orwhenpressures builtupagaindueto self-sealing of sulfidesaccompanyingAu, which indicate that
the fracturesby mineralprecipitation,bothof which •s4Sie2s in the fluidincreased by 2 per mil between
probablyoccurredrapidly. deposition of earlypyriteandlatersphalerite andga-
Thus,althoughfirmevidencefor phaseseparation lena.Thischangecouldhavearisenin severalways,
duringstageII vein formationis not available,tex- including decrease offo2,admixture of s4S-enriched
turalrelationships, considerations of fluidproperties, fluids,or depletionof H2Sin the fluid via sulfidede-
andpressure constraints stronglysuggest thatsucha position.However,the firsttwo possibilities appear
process occurredandthatit mayhavebeenresponsi- unlikelybecause noevidencefor a significant change
ble for ore formation(seediscussion below). in oxidationstateis observedbetweenpyrite and
sphalerite-galena deposition,and becauseprimary
Golddeposition fluid inclusions in sphaleritegive no indicationof
StageI: Golddepositionin phyllicalterationzones fluidmixing.In contrast, thehighFe/(Fe + Zn) ratios
is closelyassociated with disseminated pyrite forma- of sphalerites (avg -- 0.13) indicaterelativelylow ac-
tion, suggesting a link betweentheseprocesses. If it tivities of S in solution following the mainstageof
is assumedthat the early high-salinity(>_32wt % pyritedeposition (as2• 10-•ø at 300øC,the esti-
NaC1equiv)type 1 fluidswere responsible for both matedtemperatureof sphaleritedeposition; Barton
alterationandmineralization in thissetting,thenAu and Skinner, 1979). Therefore, it is suggested that
mayhavebeencarriedasa chloridecomplexsuchas the early precipitation of large quantities of pyritein
AuCI• (Seward,1984; HayashiandOhmoto,1991). theseveinsmayhavedepletedthe fluid in dissolved
Precipitationof Au under these conditionscan be sulfidesufficiently to shift•34Sfiuid to highervalues.
modeledin termsof coupledsulfidationandsericiti- This process would in turn have resulted in the late
zationof magnetite-feldspar-bearing wall rocksby codeposition ofAu ø and Fe- ands4S-enriched sphaler-
the ore fluid: ite (cf.Ohmoto,1986;Hannington andScott,1989,
their fig. 4).
F%O4(s) + 6KA1Si3Os(s) + 4AuCl•(aq) + 6H2S(aq) StageII: In contrastto the relativelylow grade
= 3FeS2(•) + 2KAI•Si•O•0(OH)•(•)+ 4Au(•) stage I disseminated andveinores,stageII veinsare
characterized by locallyhigh concentrations of Auø
+ 12SiO•(•)+8Cl•-•q)+ 4K•q)+ 4H•O. (2) andAu-Agtellurides(> 1 wt % Au in somehandsam-
Equilibrium constants for thisreactionincrease by pies).Sulfideminerals,althoughpresent,are not as
almostnineordersof magnitude astemperatures fall abundantasin stageI, andtemperatures andsalini-
from300ø to 250øC(logKs00o >_36.3,logK•50o >_ tiesof stageII fluidsaregenerallylower.It hasbeen
45.0; Hayashiand Ohmoto,1991; Johnsonet al., proposed abovethatphaseseparation duringseismic
1991), suggesting thatinteractionbetweenthe fluid activity on the Roamane fault was responsible for
and coolermagnetite-feldspar-bearing wall rocks stage II breccia and vein propagation, and the impli-
couldhavebeensufficient to causeAu precipitationcationsof thisprocessfor the depositionof bonanza
alongwith pyrite andsericiticalteration. concentrations of Au are now discussed.
In contrastto the abovemodel,transportof Au in Goldprecipitation in stageII veinsoccurredafter
thesomewhat moredilute(•9.5 wt % NaC1equiv) the deposition of fine-grained silicaon the veinmar-
type2 fluidsfoundin basemetalsulfide veinsproba- gins.If thissilicarimwasformedduringphasesepara-
bly occurredas the neutralHAu(HS)2complex tion,thenAu wasnotprecipitatedwhile thisprocess
(Hayashiand Ohmoto,1991). Underthesecondi- wasactuallyoccurringbutwasdelayeduntilfluiddy-
tions,Au depositionmayhavebeencontrolleddomi- namic conditions had returned to near normal. This
nantly by the removal of reduced S from solution observation mayindicatethat a kineticcontrolon Au
throughprecipitation of sulfidesin response to fall- solubility was in operation,as suggested by Brown
ing temperatures: (1989).In hisautoclave experiments usinganAu-sat-
urated aqueousH•S-HS- solution,Brown (1989)
FeCl•(aq) + 2ZnCl•(aq ) + 2HAu(HS)•(aq) foundthatAu concentrations increased initiallydur-
-- FeS•(s)+ 2ZnS(•) + 2Au(•)+6Cl•-•q) + 6H•-•q)(3) ing simulated flashing, in part due to the morerapid
lossto the vaporphaseof dissolvedH• compared
(logKs50o
= -10.2, logK3ooo
= -3.0; Hayashiand withH•Sresulting
inanincrease
info• andinpartdue
l 044 RICHARDS AND KERRICH
to an increasein pH causedmainlyby exsolutionof minerals(A34Ssulfat

eFeS- ----30-35%o)is similarto that
CO2(ReedandSpycher,1985)' expected
undere•lu'ilibrium
conditions
at 165øC
A34Ssulfate-FeS2
•• 31%0; shortextrapolation
offraction-
H20 = H21g)+1/202(aq) (4) ation equationslisted in Ohmoto and Rye, 1979).
and Moreover,the coexistence
of barite andpyrite in the
veinssuggests
thatfo2conditions
werecloseto as-s/
HCOj(aq)
d-H/+aq)
= H20 + CO2/g). (5) asoi•
= 1,andtherefore
that$34Szs
• dvalues
sho•]d
However,afterdegassing ofthemoresolubleH2Sbe- lieroughly
halfway
between
thev(•u)es
forsulfides
camesignificant,Au concentrations
droppedsharply andsulfates,i.e., at '--4 per mil. This valueis identi-
dueto the muchlargermassactioneffectof H2Scom- calto the averagecomposition of stageI sulfidesand
paredwith O2 on the equilibriumdepictedby reac- is what one wouldpredictif sulfurin stageII fluids
tion 6 (seealsoSeward,1989): wasderivedby dissolution of thisearliermaterial.
In summary,theseobservation supporta modelfor
2Au(HS)•(aq)
d-2H•-aq
) + H20 stageII ore formationinvolvingfluid flashing,with
depositionof Au occurringprimarilyin responseto
= 2Auls) + 4H2Stg
) + 1/202(aq
). (6) lossof dissolved sulfideto the vaporphase.Indica-
Bowers(1991) notedthat the magnitudeof the ef- tionsthat the orefluidwasmoderatelyoxidizedcon-
fectof phaseseparation
onAu solubilitywill alsode- formto the requirements of Bowers(1991) for opti-
pend on the initial oxidationstateand S contentof mum Au depositionrates duringphaseseparation.
thefluid.In fluidscloseto thean.•s/aso•
= 1 bound- The smallamountof sulfidepresentin solutionwould
arywith moderateto low totalSactivities,phasesepa- berapidlyexsolved by thisprocess, resultingin desta-
rationmayresultin almosttotal lossof sulfidefrom bilizationof Au bisulfidecomplexes(Bowers,1991,
solution,with consequentdumpingof Au and in- p. 2431).
crease in oxidation state of the residual fluid.
Evidencefor the operationof sucha process may Therole of magmatism
be foundin the presenceof barite intergrownwith Fundamental to the formationof the PorgeraAu
pyrite andAuø in somesamples(Fig. 4F), andthe S depositwasthe near-surfaceemplacementof vola-
isotopecompositions of theseminerals.In compari- tile-rich, mafic, alkalic magmas,probablyderived
sonto sulfides fromall otherstages of mineralization from the subcontinental back-arcasthenosphere in
andalteration,pyrite fromquartz-roscoelite Au veins response to complexsubduction- andincipientconti-
is stronglydepletedin a4S((334S = -14.0 to -11.4%o). nent-islandarc collision-relatedprocesses (Richards
Although it is possiblethat the ground waters et al., 1990). Althoughit is impossible to proveun-
thoughtto be involvedin thisstageof ore formation equivocally that thesemagmas werethe onlysource
introducedisotopicallydepletedbiogenicS fromthe of Au in the deposit,numerouslines of evidence
sedimentarycountryrocksinto the system,Richards pointtowarda primaryrole for magmatism in hydro-
et al. (199lb) concluded fromPbandSrisotopestud- thermalore formation.For example,Richardset al.
ies that there wasno changein the sourceof these (1991b) haveshownthat both Pb andSr in vein and
components, at least,duringthetransitionfromstage ore mineralswere derivedfrom mixedigneousand
I to stageII mineralization.Rather,they suggested sedimentarysources,and stableisotopedata pre-
that Pb and Sr (andperhapsalsoAu) were remobi- sentedaboveindicatea magmaticoriginfor C, S,and
lized fromdeeperzonesof stageI ore by circulating early fluids.Moreover,analysesof noblemetaland
stageII groundwaters.Sulfurin theselate fluidswas Cu abundances in leastalteredsamplesfromthe Por-
probablyalsoderivedby this process,and the ob- gera intrusivecomplexdo not indicatethat Au had
servednegative(334S valuesofstageII pyritemayindi- been lostprior to emplacement throughexsolution
cate that oxidation attended redissolution of earlier and segregationof sulfide-oxidemelts (Richardset
sulfideswith an average(334S • 4 per mil. Alterna- al., 1991b;cf. Campbellet al., 1983; Keays,1987;
tively, oxidationmay have occurredas a result of Spooner,1993). An additionalline of evidencefor
phaseseparation at the siteof stageII oredeposition, the involvementof magmatic-derived hydrothermal
as suggestedabove (cf. Drummondand Ohmoto, fluidsis the existenceof hypersalinefluid inclusions
1985; McKibben and Eldridge, 1990; Bowers, in early quartzfrom stageI disseminated ore. These
1991). Althoughbarite intergrownwith ore could inclusions are similarin appearanceand microther-
not be analyzed,late vuggy barite and anhydrite mometricpropertiesto thosefoundin porphyry-type
yielded(334S = 22.2 and 20.6 per mil, respectively. deposits,whichare generallyacceptedto represent
Isotopicequilibriumbetweenthesesulfatesand the either direct magmaticvolatile emanationsor con-
vein pyrite cannot be demonstrated,but the ob- densates fromsuchemanations (e.g.,Roedder,1971;
serveddifferencebetweenthe compositions of these Henley and McNabb, 1978; Candela, 1989a; Cline
andBodnar,1991). They contrast,however,with the posedore depositmay not be representativeof the

more dilute fluids characteristicof epithermalsys- systemasa whole.Indeed,the high-salinity, but rela-
tems(Nash,1972; HedenquistandHenley, 1985a). tively low-temperature,fluidsassociated with early
Modelsof vapor generationfrom igneoussystems phyllic alteration were probably derived from a
havelargelybeen restrictedto magmasof interme- larger,hotterreservoirof magmaticfluidcirculating
diate to felsiccomposition
becauseof the obviousre- at depth, with the implicationthat additionalore,
lationshipof suchmagmas to porphyryandpegmati- perhapswith higherCu/Au ratios,existsbeneaththe
tic ore deposits(e.g., Whitney, 1975, 1977; Burn- currentlyexploredorebody(cf. Titley, 1978; Jones,
ham, 1979; Burnham and Ohmoto, 1980; Candela, 1992). However,relativelyhighcontentsof Au are a
1986, 1989b,c; Candela and Holland, 1986; London well-knownfeatureof maficmagmas compared to in-
et al., 1989; Cline andBodnar,1991). Thesestudies termediatecompositions (Tilling et al., 1973; Keays
have mostlyinvolvedanalysisof vapor saturation and Scott, 1976). Moreover,Hamlyn et al. (1985)
processes andmelt-vaporpartitioningof metalssuch havesuggested that high precious/base metalratios
asCu andMo at variousdepthsandinitial magmatic in magnesian, low Ti lavas(boninites)comparedwith
H20 andCI contents.However,with the exceptionof midocean ridgebasaltsmayreflectmeltingof a previ-
qualitativestatements regardingthe higherpotential ously depleted mantle source containing small
Au-carryingcapacityof S-richfluidsderivedfromrel- amountsof residualPGE-enrichedsulfide.Thispro-
atively oxidizedI-type, or magnetiteseriesmagmas cessis thoughtto leadto the formationof S-undersat-
(BurnhamandOhmoto,1980), anda recentdiscus- urated PGE-rich melts (see also Solomon,1990).
sion of magmaticsulfide-volatileinteractionsby Richardset al. (1990, 1991b) have shownthat the
Spooner(1993), the behaviorof Au haslargelybeen Porgeramagmascarry Sr and Nd isotopesignatures
ignoredin thesecalculations.In contrast,the mag- characteristicof depleted mantle and that fraction-
matic behavior of Au and PGE in mafic and ultramafic ation of a sulfidemelt did not occur prior to final
tholeiiticsystems hasbeenstudiedby numerousau- crystallization.Therefore, it is suggestedthat the
thorsbecauseof the importanceof cumulate-hostedcombinationof thesefactors,alongwith relatively
Cu-Ni-PGE-Audeposits(seeNaldrett, 1989, for a re- highprimarymagmaticvolatilecontents,resultedin
cent summary).A cleardistinctionmaybe drawnbe- the near-surface eraplacement of preciousmetal-un-
tween theseorthomagmatic and porphyry-typeore depleted,mafic,alkalibasalticmelts,fromwhichmet-
deposits: in the formercase,exsolution andphysical alliferousfluidswere exsolvedat a relativelylate
segregationof an immisciblesulfide-oxidemelt into stagein their fractionation history.
whichchalcophile andsiderophileelementsarepref-
erentially partitioned, occursat a relatively early Comparisonwith Other Gold DepositsAssociated
stage in the magmaticdifferentiationprocessand with IgneousRocks
prior to, or in the absenceof, separationof a volatile Classification of the PorgeraAu depositis compli-
phase.In economicporphyry-typesystems relatedto catedby the existenceof two contrastingmineraliza-
calc-alkaline magmas, however,volatilephasesepara- tion styleswithin the samemetalliferoussystem:an
tionandquenchingof the meltnormallyoccursprior early, porphyry-likestage,and a later epithermal
to the onsetof sulfidemelt segregation at crustallev- stage.Numerousworkershave attemptedto trace a
els (Candelaand Holland, 1986; Cline and Bodnar, link betweenthesetwo broadclasses of ore deposits
1991). This distinction reflects, in the broadest (e.g., Sillitoe,1973, 1983a, 1988, 1989, 1991; Hen-
sense,the higherH20 contentof subduction-related ley andMcNabb, 1978; Henley andEllis, 1983; Silli-
calc-alkalicto alkalicmagmas,comparedwith intra- toe and Bonham, 1984; Werle et al., 1984; Heald et
plate tholeiiticmagmas. al., 1987; Margoliset al., 1991; Mitchell andLeach,
In contrastto normal orthomagmaticand por- 1991; Jones, 1992), but there are few localities
phyry-typesystems,the unusualmagmatic-relatedwhere this association can be constrained to one of
hydrothermal enrichment of Au in the Porgerade- more thanmerely spatialcoincidence.For example,
posit may reflect its nonconformityto these end- closerelationships are observedbetweenearly por-
membermodels.The relativelyhigh inferredH•O phyry-typeand later epithermalfluidsat Acupanin
contentandoxidationstateof theparentalmagmas at the Philippines,but geochronological studiesindi-
Porgeramayhaveresultedin suppression of sulfide catethat theseeventswere separatedby a periodof
immiscibilityuntil after the onsetof volatilephase between1 and3 m.y. (CookeandBloom,1990). Simi-
separation,with the result that Au and other chalco- larly,porphyry-type Au mineralization hasbeendoc-
phile metalsremainedin the melt until the onsetof umentedat Vundanearthe EmperorAu-Ag-Temine
secondboiling. in Fiji, but not actuallywithin the shoshonitic
Tavua
Becausethe Porgeraore-formingsystemis not ex- caldera itself which hoststhe deposit (Lawrence,
posedin its entirety,the low Cu/Auratiosin the ex- '1978; Ahmadet al., 1987; Kwak, 1990). Neverthe-
less,in bothcasesthe authorsappealto magmatism as ted Horse,and Gies (Montana),and Cripple Creek,
a sourceof at leastheatfor epithermalmineralization BessieG, Allard stock,andthe telluridedepositsof
andalsofor water andsolutesin the caseof Emperor. BoulderCounty(Colorado).The chiefcharacteristics
The LadolamAu depositon Lihir Island,PapuaNew of theseoccurrences arecomparedwith thoseof Por-
Guinea,providesperhapsthe clearestlink between gerastageII in Table 8. The mostdistinctivefeatures
igneousand epithermal processes,however, since of thesedepositsare their typical association with
ongoinggeothermalactivitycanbe relatedto mafic, maficalkalicintrusivecomplexes andthe occurrence
alkalic volcanism which occurred within the last 1 ofAu-Agtellurides,roscoelite,andfluorite(although
Ma, and which was alsoassociatedwith minor por- the latter mineral has not been observed to date at
phyry-styleCu, Mo, andAu mineralization(Moyleet Porgera).The relativelyhighabundances of Au, Te,
al., 1990). V, and F in maficand alkalicigneousrocksare well
At the PorgeraAu mine, the transitionfrom mag- known(Sindeeva,1964; Tilling et al., 1973; Carmi-
matichydrothermaloreformationto epithermalmin- chaelet al., 1974; Kogarko,1974; Mutschleret al.,
eralizationassociated with circulatinggroundwaters 1985;BaileyandHampton,1990),andit istherefore
has been documented.It is suggestedthat this se- tempting to concludethat this element association
quenceof eventsis broadlyanalogous to the evolu- reflectsa closegeneticrelationshipwith the atten-
tion of typicalporphyryCu systems. In thisscenario, dant epizonalintrusions(cf. Mutschleret al., 1985;
the effiuxof earlyhigh-temperature magmatic fluids, Afifi et al., 1988). The exactnatureof thisrelation-
throughwhich the bulk of metallicore mineralsare shiphasbeena matterof debate,however,with some
introduced,wanesas the igneoussourcecoolsand investigatorsproposinga direct infusionof metals
solidifies,andiseventuallyengulfedandoverprinted andothercomponents into the hydrothermalsystem
by cooler,externallyderivedgroundwaters.Here, via magmaticfluids(e.g., Porter and Ripley, 1985;
however,the analogylargelyceases, because,in com- Saunders andMay, 1986; Ahmadet al., 1987;Ander-
parisonto PorgerastageII, the ground-waterover- sonet al., 1987), and otherspreferringremobiliza-
printisnotnormallyresponsible for significant hypo- tion from earlier stagesof magmatichydrothermal
genemineralizationin porphyrycoppersystems, and mineralization(e.g., Moyle et al., 1990; Richardset
in manycases,isin factore-destructive (butseeSilli- al., 1991b;Russell,1991;andthiswork).Distinction
toe, 1988; Lowell, 1989; Jones,1992). Differences betweenthesetwo processes is far from sharp,how-
betweenPorgeraand typical porphyrycopperde- ever,andthe problemsof tryingto identifythe pres-
positsbegin with the compositionof the parental enceof a smallcomponentof magmaticfluid within
magma (alkaline vs. calc-alkaline) and progress the largecirculatingground-watersystems typicalof
throughcontrastsin alterationstyle (phyllicvs. po- mostepithermalAu depositsare well known.A reso-
tassic),mineralizationstyle (early auriferouspyrite lutionmightbe obtainedthroughstudyof noblegas
vs. Cu-Fe sulfides;late Au-Ag-Teepithermalveins isotopiccompositions in fluidinclusions (e.g.,Kelley
vs. typically ore-destructivehydrothermalover- et al., 1986; Simmonset al., 1987; Turner, 1988;
print), andeconomicmetalinventory(Au vs.Cu; see StuartandTurner, 1992).
Table 7). Thesedifferencesextendevento porphyry
Cu-AudepositswhereAu is stilltypicallysubsidiary Conclusions
to Cu in termsof value, althoughthe latter systems
do in generaltend to be associated with morealkalic The PorgeraAu depositprovidesan excellentex-
intrusivesuites(e.g., Shoshonites; Hollister, 1975; ampleof the closerelationship betweenmaficalkalic
Barr et al., 1976; Kesler et al., 1977; Sillitoe, 1983b; magmatism andpreciousmetalmineralization,specif-
Lowell, 1989). icallyof the Au-Ag-Tetype,andillustratesonepossi-
Similarly,the later hydrothermaloverprintwhich ble pathwayby whichan ore-forminghydrothermal
characterizesthe secondstageof mineralizationat systemcan evolveprogressively from magmaticto
Porgeradoesnotfit cleanlyintothe well-establishedground-waterdominance.Althoughepithermalore
acid sulfateor adularia-sericitemodelsfor epither- depositsbelongingto the "alkalic" groupare more
real preciousmetal deposits(Hayba et al., 1985; diversein their appearanceand characteristics than
Healdet al., 1987). Instead,it sharesmanyfeatures those of the better known adularia-sericite and acid
of a looselyboundgroupof deposits termed"quartz- sulfatetypes,a numberof unifyingfeaturescanbe
fiuorite-adularia-type" by Bonham(1984), "Au-Ag- identified, includingbroadtectonicandmagmatic as-
Te vein-type"by CoxandBagby(1986), or "alkalic" sociations,and hydrothermalevolution.We there-
by Bonham(1988); seealsoMutschleret al. (1985). fore presenthere a generalizedframeworkmodelfor
Other examplesof this associationmay include the developmentof alkalic,or Au-Ag-Teepithermal,
Mount Kare and Ladolam (Papua New Guinea), deposits, basedonevidencefromPorgeraanda num-
Emperor (Fiji), Acupan (Philippines),Tongyoung ber of other well-documented casesof this type of
(Korea),GoldenSunlight,Zortman-Landusky, Spot- mineralization(seeTable 8):
PORGERA
TABLE
8. Characteristics
of PorgeraStageII Mineralization
Comparedwith EpithermalAu-Ag-Te(Alkalic)Deposits
Parameter PorgerastageII EpithermalAu-Ag-Tedeposits
Geodynamicsetting Continent-island arc collision zone Backareor postsubduction;

rifting
(backare)
Depositionalenvironment Epizonalintrusivecomplex Volcanic-intrusive
complexes, calderas
Associated
igneousrocks Alkali basaltsor gabbrosand Alkalibasalt,phonolite,monzonite,tinguaite,
porphyriticdiffereutiates;high syenite,traehyte, latite; shoshonites,
Na/K lamprophyres; commonlyhigh Na/K,
porphyritie
Structure Fault-relatedveinsand hydraulic Fault-relatedveins,shears,hydraulic
breccias;veinsare layered, breedas, shatterzones;veinsare layered,
vuggy vuggy
Wall-rock alteratiou Weak phyllic alteration(sericite- Phyllie, propylitie,argillie,potassie,silieie,
roscoelite)as thin wall rock pyritie; commonlylocalizedaround
selvages mineralized structures
Ore minerals Auø, electrum, Au-Ag tellurides, Auø, electrum, Au-Ag tellurides,Pb/Hg
Pb/Hg tellurides;basemetal tellurides,rare Te ø and Agø;basemetal
sulfides,sulfosalts sulfides,sulfosalts,stibnite, ruffle, local
hematite
Gangueminerals Quartz, roscoelite,barite, minor Quartz, chalcedony,roscoelite,barite,
carbonate fluorite, adularia, carbonates,eelestite,
kaolinitc
Temperature,pressure,saliuity •165øC; 250 to 450 bars; 3 to 150ø to 320øC (commonly_<200øC);<500
of ore-formingfluids <10 equiv.wt. % NaCI bars;0 to 10 equiv.wt. % NaCI
CO2 contentof fluid inclusions 0.5 to 1.4 mole % <2 mole% (few analyses)
b•sO,bD of ore-formingfluids (518OH20
= 2.0 to 5.2 Data fall between meteoric water line,
(%o) (SDHo_O
= --62 to --34 includingseawater,and typicalmagmatie
waters;individualdepositswell grouped
ba4S
of sulfides
(%0) (534S= -14.0 to -10.3 ba4S= -15 to +3 (typically<0%0);+3.6 to
+8.2 (Tongyoung)
b•aCof carbonates
(%0) No data b•aC= -8 to 0 (Emperor,Sunnyside,
Tongyoung)
Depositionalmechanism Phaseseparationduring fault Phaseseparation,fluid mixing,cooling
movement
Source of ore fluids Dominantlyexchangedground Dominantlyexchanged
groundwaters
waters
Source of carbon and sulfur Remobilizedmagmatic(S) Magmaticand/orcountryrock
Suggestedsourceof ore metals Remobilizedmagmatic Magmatic/remobilized
magmatic
Datafor epithermalAu-Ag-Tedeposits summarizedfromLindgrenandRansome (1906),LoughlinandKoschmann (1935),Kellyand

Goddard(1969),Casadevall andOhmoto(1977), Sawkins et al. (1979), Giles(1982),Werle et al. (1984), Mutschleret al. (1985),Porter
andRipley(1985), Thompson et al. (1985), CoxandBagby(1986), Saunders andMay (1986), Ahmadet al. (1987), Anderson et al.
(1987),Afifi et al. (1988),Bonham(1988), Hastings(1988),WilsonandKyser(1988),White andLawless(1989), AhmadandWalshe
(1990), AndersonandEaton(1990), CookeandBloom(1990), Kwak(1990), Moyleet al. (1990), Ryzak(1990), Sheltonet al. (1990),
Geller andAtkinson(1991), Russell(1991), Saunders(1991), ZhangandSpry(1991)
1. Generationof mafic, alkalic, moderatelyvola- magmawith volatilesprior to segregation of an im-

tile-rich, and oxidizedmagmas,perhapsfrom de- miscible sulfide-oxide melt.
pleted mantlesourceswhichhaveundergonerecent 4. Developmentof a magmatichydrothermal sys-
metasomaticreenrichmentsin incompatibleele- tem analogous to thoseformedin porphyrycopper
mentsandvolatilesrelatedto subduction processes. deposits,but with relativelyhigh Au/Cu, reflecting
2. Eraplacementof these magmasat shallow the moremaficnatureof the parentalmagma.
crustallevels(2-5 km depth)throughlithosphereex- 5. Deep circulationof groundwatersaroundthe
periencingtransienttensionalstresses,suchasin con- waningmagmatichydrothermalsystem,with possi-
tinental back-arcregionsor in areasundergoinga ble intermixingof fluidsandvolatiles,and/orremobi-
fundamentaltransitionin convergenttectonicstyle lizationof early disseminated hypogeneore.
(e.g., reversalof subductionpolarity,continent-is- 6. Focused ascent of these modified ground
land arc collision). waters(nowgaseous, metalliferous,andwith moder-
3. Operation of the combinedeffectsof mantle atesalinityandtemperature) alonglatenormalfaults,
sourcecharacteristics, depth of emplacement,and with periodicflashingoccurringduringactiveseis-
resultingin saturationof the micity.Depositionof rich concentrations
historyof fractionation, of Auø and
Au-Agtelluridesin responseto chemicalchangesin Ahmad,M., Solomon,M., and Walshe,J. L., 1987, Mineralogical
the fluid accompanying phaseseparation.The char- andgeochemical studiesof the Emperorgoldtelluridedeposit,
Fiji: Ecoa. GEOL.,v. 82, p. 345-370.
acteristicincreasesin Au, Ag, Te, V, and F in this Ahmad,S.N., andRose,A. W., 1980,Fluidinclusions
in porphyry
epithermalstageof mineralizationreflect ultimate andskarnore at SantaRita, New Mexico:Ecoa. GEOL.,v. 75, p.
derivationof solutesfrom the maficalkalicmagma. 229-250.
Anderson,W. B., and Eaton, P. C., 1990, Gold mineralizationat
It isrecognizedthatthe detailsof manyof the steps the Emperormine,Vatukoula,Fiji: Jour.Geochem.Explor.v.
outlinedabovemay vary amongindividualoccur- 36, p. 267-296.
rences,in part due to the wide diversityof alkalic Anderson, W. B., Antonio,M., Davis, B., Jones,G. F. P., Setter-
field, T. N., andTua, P., 1987, The Emperorepithermalgold
magmacompositions that are potentiallyassociated deposit,Vatukoula,Fiji, in PacificRim Congress87, Proceed-
with thesedeposits,and alsobecauseof the signifi- ings:The geology,structure,mineralizationandeconomics of
cant involvement in ore formation of the local envi- the Pacificrim: Melbourne,Australasian
Inst. Mining Metal-
ronment(e.g., countryrock composition,structure, lurgy, p. 9-12.
Bailey,D. K., andHampton,C. M., 1990, Volatilesin alkaline
and the origin of groundwaters).In particularit is magmatism: Lithos,v. 26, p. 157-165.
notedthat there is no requirementfor the develop- Barr, D. A., Fox, P. E., Northcote, K. E., and Preto, V. A., 1976,
mentof economicpreciousmetalmineralizationdur- The alkalinesuiteporphyrydeposits--asummary:Canadian
ing the early magmatichydrothermalstage, but Inst.MiningMetall. Spec.Vol. 15, p. 359-367.
merelythatsomedegreeof preconcentration or con- Barton,P. B., andSkinner,B. J., 1979, Sulfidemineralstabilities,
in Barnes,H. L., ed., Geochemistry of hydrothermalore de-
ditioningshouldoccur,perhapsthroughdistribution posits:New York,Wiley Intersci.,p. 278-403.
of Au in disseminated labile mineralphases,suchas Beane,R. E., andTitley, S. R., 1981, Porphyrycopperdeposits,
sulfides,or through direct mixing of the ground Part II. Hydrothermalalterationand mineralization: Ecoa.
water systemwith a magmaticvolatilephase.Simi- GEOL.75TH ANNIV.VOL., p. 235-269.
Bischoff,
J.L., andRosenbauer,
R. J., 1984,The criticalpointand
larly,thereis no absoluterequirement for economic two-phase boundaryof seawater, 200-500øC:EarthPlanet.Sci.
epithermal mineralizationto developaroundanearly Letters, v. 68, p. 172-180.
magmatic hydrothermal system.Thus,it isquitecon- Bodnar,R. J., 1992, Experimental determination
of the liquidus
ceivablefor a depositofthistypeto displayonlymag- and isochoresof a 40 wt. % NaC1-H20solutionusingsynthetic
fluid inclusions [abs.]:BiennialPan-American
Conferenceon
matichydrothermal, or onlyepithermal,mineraliza- Research on Fluid Inclusions,4th, ArrowheadLake, CA, May
tion,but whereonesuchstylehasbeenrecognized, 21-25, 1992, ProgramandAbstracts,p. 14.
exploration for the other"missing"phasemaywell Boettcher,A. L., andO'Neil, J.R., 1980, Stableisotope,chemical,
be worthwhile. and petrographicstudiesof high-pressure
amphibolesand
micas:Evidencefor metasomatism in the mantlesourceregions
Acknowledgments of alkali basaltsand kimberlites:Am. Jour. Sci., v. 280-A, p.
594-621.
The PorgeraJointVenturePartnersare thanked Bonham,H. F., 1984, Threemajortypesof epithermalprecious-
for fieldsupportandaccess to thePorgeramine,and metaldeposits: Geol.Soc.AmericaAbstracts withPrograms, v.
for permission to publishthispaper;in particularwe -- 16,1988,
p. 449.
Modelsfor volcanic-hosted epithermalprecious metal
thankVic Botts,Garth Wilson, GeoffHandley,and deposits,in Schafer,R. W., Cooper,J. J., andVikre,P. G., eds.,
JohnPorterfield.We are alsogratefulto JimReyn- Bulkmineablepreciousmetaldepositsof the westernUnited
olds,Ed Spooner,Harold Bonham,RobertBodnar, States.Symposium proceedings: Reno,Geol. Soc.Nevada,p.
JeffHedenquist, andPaulSpryfor stimulating discus- 259-271.
sionsand provisionof relevantinformation;J.P.R. Bottinga, Y., and Javoy,M., 1975, Oxygen isotopepartitioning
amongthemineralsinigneous andmetamorphic rocks:Geophys-
thanksKurt Kyser,DavePezderic,andCindySwiney icsSpacePhysicsRev., v. 13, p. 401-418.
for instructionin the useof stableisotopelines.The Bowers,T. S.,1991,The depositionof goldandothermetals:Pres-
thoughtfulcomments of two EconomicGeologyre- sure-induced fluid immiscibilityand associated stableisotope
viewersare greatlyappreciated. signatures: Geochim.et Cosmochim. Acta,v. 55, p. 2417-2434.
Bowman,J.R., Parry,W. T., Kropp,W. P., andKruer,S.A., 1987,
Thisresearch wassupported by a CanadianNatural Chemicaland isotopicevolutionof hydrothermalsolutionsat
Sciences andEngineering ResearchCounciloperat- Bingham,Utah: Ecoa. GEOL.,v. 82, p. 395-428.
inggranttoR.K.andanawardfromtheUniversity of Brown,K. L., 1989,Kineticsofgoldprecipitationfromexperimen-
Saskatchewan
Natural SciencesandEngineeringRe- tal hydrothermalsulfidesolutions:ETON.GEOL.MO•. 6, p.
320-327.
searchCouncilPresident'sResearchFund to J.P.R. Burnham,C. W., 1979, Magmasand hydrothermalfluids,in
Barnes,H. L., ed., Geochemistry
of hydrothermal
ore deposits:
September
9, 1992;February22, 1993 New York, Wiley Intersci.,p. 71-136.
Burnham,C. W., and Ohmoto,H., 1980, Late-stageprocesses in
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The Pogera Gold Mine - Magmatic Hydrothermal To Epithermal Evolution of An Alkalic-Type Precious Metal Deposit

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Economic Geology

Vol. 88, 1993, pp. 1017-1052

The PorgeraGold Mine, PapuaNew Guinea:MagmaticHydrothermalto

The PorgeraAu deposit,locatedin the highlandsof PapuaNew Guinea,containsproven

Introduction Ag (• 30 Moz), but economicrecoveryof thismetal

PORGERA • Mt KARE (/. Miocene)

AURE gp.(M-I.Miocene) .'•:____•

FIG.2. Simplifiedgeologyof theareaaroundthePorgeraAu deposit;thelocationoftheMountKare

Note: Parageneticsequenceis C --* B, A, E --* D

modifiedto permituseof a NikonELWD 40X objec- pressures weremonitoredat criticalstages to check

reproducibility for in-housestandards wastypically Basemetalsulfideveinswith minorAuøareclosely

stages.A typicalprofile throughone suchmineral- Four typesof fluidinclusions

TA•t•E2. Fluid InclusionTypesObservedat Porgera

Propylitic Propyliticalteration L+V L • V, L • V

gressivecooling. Initial melting phenomenaob-

FI(;. 6. Photomicrographs of fluidinclusions

Equiv. wt. % NaCI TmNaCl

Equiv. wt. % NaCl

FIc. 7. Microthermometric data for fluid inclusions associated FIG.9. Microthermometric

Equiv. wt. % NaCI

ing intrusiverocks.The higher salinityfluids,how- 100

Pressureestimates andtrappingtemperatures of type o

Preliminaryresultsof gaschromatographic analy-

assuming completedissociation of NaC1andsolvation mation.The significance of this observation is not

f•80 fD3 f•8OH2o fDa•o

tite are commonly

TA•IaZ6. CarbonandOxygenIsotopeData for MineralsandWhole Rocksfromthe PorgeraAu Deposit

primaryigneousmineralsandonesampleof leastal- fidesfromstageI mineralization rangefrom•a4S=

variationbetweendifferentgrowthbandsfrom indi- fall withinthe rangeof primarymagmatic watersob-

igneousrocks(where•80 = 5.0 to 6.6%0,bD = -90 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15

thatthe epidoteunderwentretrogressiveisotopicex- 4 Stage

ues therefore reflect the involvement of low-latitude,

•80 values(up to 12.3%0;Table 3), reflectinglocal •34ScD

lic alterationzones(9.1-10.4%o).In comparison,sam-

formationoccurredpriorto the earlyPlioceneconti- dominantly aqueous (cf.Larsenet al., 1992). No pri-

Parameter PorgerastageI Porphyrycopperdeposits

Dataforporphyries summarizedfroinLowellandGullbert(1970),Roedder (1971),Sheppard

StageII: Followingthe deposition

pressuretransients of thismagnitudehavebeenre- Ohmoto,1991;Johnson et al., 1991). The significant

to an increasein pH causedmainlyby exsolutionof minerals(A34Ssulfat

andBodnar,1991). They contrast,however,with the posedore depositmay not be representativeof the

Parameter PorgerastageII EpithermalAu-Ag-Tedeposits

Geodynamicsetting Continent-island arc collision zone Backareor postsubduction;

Datafor epithermalAu-Ag-Tedeposits summarizedfromLindgrenandRansome (1906),LoughlinandKoschmann (1935),Kellyand

1. Generationof mafic, alkalic, moderatelyvola- magmawith volatilesprior to segregation of an im-

cationsof the roleof waterto rockratiofor the genesisofwolfra- Ohaki-Broadlands,

canic-hosted epithermalprecious-metal deposits: Rev.Econ.Ge- Kyser,T. K., 1987a, Equilibriumfractionationfactorsfor stable

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