EconomicGeology

Vol. 90, 1995, 2g•6-2328

THE ROLE OF SANDSTONE POROSITY AND PERMEABILITY IN LEAD SOURCE STUDIES,

APPALACHIAN THRUST BELT, QUEBEC

K. $CHRIJVER
INRS-Gdoressources,
2535,Boulevard
Laurier,Saine-Foy,
Quebec,
CanadaGIV 4C7
Introduction (Rh6aumeand Schfijver,1991).Furthermore, an indirect
Severalepigenetic strata-bound bafite-fichgalena(domi- methodof Rb-Srdatingsuggests that bafiteprecipitation
nant)-sphalefite(accessory) depositsoccurintheAppalachianin a similarsandstone-hosted Ba-Pb-Znveindeposit, 75 km
thrustbeltof the lowerSt. Lawrence area(Schrijver et al., southwest of the St-Fabien deposit, occurred at 490 _ 40
1988;Williams-Jones et al.,1992).Theyarehosted byUpper Ma. Thus an age of 450 Ma has been assigned to the mineral-
Cambfian sandstones, sandwiched betweenMiddleandUp- ization;an uncertainty asgreatas _ 50 Ma will not signifi-
per Cambfianmudstones (Fig. 1). Two depositsubclasses cantly affectthe conclusion to be drawnfromthatassump-
canbe distinguished. Twodeposits, knownby thenamesSt- tion.It should also be noted thattwogroupsof mudstones,
FabienandCapEnrag6,containveinanddisseminated ore although mineralogically similar to eachother,havebeen
recognized. The first,consisting of foursamples (25,26, 30,
andgangue minerals, occluding a networkof interconnectedand31 in Schrijver et al.,1994,table7), occurs withinseveral
fracturesanddissolution pores.Deposits oftheothersubclass
metersfromthe bafite-galena deposits, is relatively fichin
compfise veinsand are not accompanied by disseminatedlead (up to 515 ppm Pb), andhasPb isotopevaluesthat
minerals.Theporosity of thehostsandstone of thevein-only are verycloseto depositPb isotoperatios.Thishasbeen
subclassis restfictedto fracturesandrelatively minorpores, interpretedas lead contamination by metalliferous brines
whichareonlyrarelyinterconnected. Thiscontrast inporosity priorto galenaprecipitation (Schfijver et al., 1994,p. 464).
suggeststhat,pfiorto mineraldeposition, permeability ofthe The second group,consisting of sevensamples, occursat 2
sandstone hostingthe veinand disseminated deposits was kmor morefromknownBa-Pbdeposits, isrelatively poorin
high,andthat of sandstone hostingthe vein-only depositslead(upto 57 ppmPb:isotope dilutionmassspectrometry),
wasveryrestficted. hasindividual Pbisotope valuesthatarenotobviously related
LeadIsotopes to deposit Pb isotope ratios, and is unlikely to have been
contaminated bylead-beafing brines.Theaverage uranogenic
For one of the two veinand disseminated deposits (St- Pb isotopevaluesof the secondgroup,however,virtually
Fabien),andtwoof the vein-only deposits (Fig. 2), the Pb coincide withdeposit Pbisotope ratios(Table1).In theabove
isotopecompositions of galenaandlabileleadin associatedmassbalancecalculation, andin the equations that follow,
barren sandstones and mudstones(whole rock) were deter- onlythevaluesof the lattersevensamples havebeenused.
minedbythermalionization massspectrometry (Schrijver et Basedon leadcontents andPb isotoperatios,no subdivi-
al., 1994).Correctedfor in situdecayof U and Th since sionof sandstone samples hasbeenrecognized. The sand-
the approximate time of galenaprecipitation (450 Ma), the stonesamples closeto, andremotefrom,the St-Fabiende-
mudstones haveaverageuranogenie isotopevaluesthat are positarenotclearlydistinguishable in theseparameters, due
verycloseto average depositPb ratios(Table1), leadingto mainlyto the smallnumberof sandstone samples, makinga
the conclusionthatmudstones werea majorsourceof lead. reliablestatistical evaluation of hypothetical groups impossi-
By contrast,similarlycorrectedvaluesfor sandstones are ble. Ranges of leadcontents, for instance, are moresignifi-
muchlowerthandeposit Pbratios(Table1), suggesting that cant:the sevensamples clustered aroundthe St-Fabiende-
sandstones werenot a majorsoumeof lead. posit(Fig. 2) rangefrom 250 to 1,005ppm Pb, whereas
Indeed,a Pb isotopemassbalancecalculation, firstsug- thoseof the four samples remotefromthisdeposit(along
gestedby A.E. Williams-Jones (Sehfijver et al., 1994),sup- the shoreline of the St. LawrenceRiver)rangefrom558 to
portsthissuggestion. The equation usedis: 879ppmPb.Thusall sandstone samples havebeenusedin
206 204
the calculations.
( Pb/' Pb)ga•ena Therefore,
theequationsusedto calculate theparameters
= M x (2ø6Pb/2ø4Pb)m,d•t
+ S X (2ø6Pb/Sø4Pb)•d•t,
(1) in Table2 are,for instance,
for the in situdecay-corrected
2ø6pb/sø4pb
ratios:
whereM andS arethe proportions of the contfibutions
of Xlmudst
leadto galenafrom the mudstone and sandstone samples,
respectively,
inwhichM + S = 1. SubstitutingtheaveragePb = ((2ø½Pb/aøaPb)i
x Pbiconcentrationx 7-1 (2)
isotope
ratioof St-Fabien'sgalenasamples, andtheweighted
averagesof the in situdecay-corrected
Pb isotope valuesof and
the mudstone andsandstone samples,givesthe proportions
presentedin the fight-handcolumnof Table2. It shouldbe Xlsa,•d•
notedherethattheageof mineralization ofthefourdeposits, 206 204

assumedto be 450 Ma, is based on structural studies and = (( Pb/ Pb)i x Pb•concentration)x 11-•, (3)
modelgalenaPb agesof 440 to 430 Ma, both indicating
a Late Ordovician
to Early Silufianageof mineralizationwherei = individual
sample.

0361-0128/95/1791/2326
-354.00 2326

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by Society of Economic Geologists, Cesar Ricardo Vargas
 SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS 2327

c,ß
,.'

LEGEND

Lithological contact

Anticline

Syncline
ST. FABIEN
DEPOSIT
Normal fault

Strike-slip fault

Ba-Pb-(Zn) mineralization
rEIN 2

FIG. 1. Simplifiedgeologicmapshowing the St-Fabien, CapEnrage,andtwovein-onlydeposits

(blackdots).Note
structuralcontrolof the mineralization.
Onlythe lithologieal
contacts
of the UpperCambriansandstone
hostrock(St-
DamaseFormation: dotted)are shown;the blankareais underlainmainlyby Cambrianmudstones (for a complete
lithostratigraphie
map,seeRh•aumeandSehrijver, 1991,fig.3).

Table2 showsthata sandstonePbcontribution issuggested

]68*50' on the basisof all threeisotopicratiosand for the three
depositsanalyzed,assuming thatthe few galenagrainsana-
lyzedin theveindeposits arerepresentative
samples.
N Cap
Enrag• Discussion and Conclusions
The S calculated for '2ø6pb/'2ø4pb
shows that the sandstone
Pb contribution
to galenaof thevein-only
deposits
is signifi-
cantlylessthanthatof the veinanddisseminateddeposit.
- , k., Also,theaveragesof thethreePbisotope estimates
of S for

TABLE1. Average
Pb-Isotope
Ratiosof GalenafromtheDeposits
and
AverageDecay-Corrected
Whole-rock values
n 2ø6pb/2ø4pb -øø7pb/2ø4pb •ø8pb/2ø4pb

Vein
•1••
. DepositPb
St.-Fabien
CapEnrag•
17
6
17.971
17.993
15.570
15.582
37.780
37.856
Vein i 3 18.023 15.578 37.845
Vein 2 2 18.011 15.587 37.858
48'15'
Decay-corrected
rockPb
Mudstones 7 18.003 15.577 38.091
Sandstones 11 17.642 15.496 37.114

FIG.2. Mapshowing thelocations

of theBa-Pb-Zn deposits (blackdots), For individual galenasamplesseeSchrijver
et al. (1988,tables2 and3,
andof themudstone (opensquares)
andsandstone samples (opentriangles). and 1994,table 1); for individualmudstoneand sandstone samplessee
Note that no mud or sandstone
samples were collectedaroundthe Cap Schrijver et al. (1994,table7)
Enrag•deposit(onlygalenaPbisotoperatiosareavailablefor thisdeposit). n = numberof samples included

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by Society of Economic Geologists, Cesar Ricardo Vargas
 2328 SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS

TABLE2. Parameters,and Mudstone(M) and SandstonePb (S) Acknowledgments

Contributions
to DepositPb (M + S = 1)
The authorthanksT. Birkett(Centreg•oscientifique de
Y• X1 X:2 X3 X1/Y X2/Y X3/Y Quebec),A.E. Williams-Jones (McGill University),
and an
EconomicGeology refereefor criticalreviews
andconstruc-
Mudstone 25.2 454.437 393.022 957.861 18.03 15.60 38.01
tive comments;L. Michard and Y. Houde (INRS-G•ores-
Sandstone 11.0 194.163 170.438 408.465 17.65 15.49 37.13
sources)forhelpin manuscript
preparation;
andthe Natural
St.-Fabien Sciences and Engineering
ResearchCouncilof Canadafor
2ø•Pb/2ø4Pb
= 17.971= 18.03(M) + 17.65(S), M = 0.84, S = 0.16 fundingthrougha research
grantto K.S.
2ø7Pb/2ø4pb
= 15.570= 15.60(M) + 15.49(S), M = 0.73, S = 0.27
•øsPb/•ø4pb
= 37.780 = 38.01 (M) + 37.13 (S), M = 0.74, S = 0.26
Vein 1 August14, November
9, 1995
-øø•pb/2ø4pb
= 18.023= 18.03(M) + 17.65(S), M = 0.98, S = 0.02
•øø7pb/2ø4pb
= 15.578= 15.60(M) + 15.49(S), M = 0.80, S = 0.20 REFERENCES
2øspb/•ø4Pb
= 37.845= 38.01(M) + 37.13(S), M = 0.81, S = 0.19
Vein 2 Rh•aume, P.,andSchrijver, K.,1991,Structural analysisofBicfault,athrust-
2ø6Pb/•ø4Pb
= 18.011= 18.03(M) + 17.65(S), M = 0.95, S = 0.05 relatedstrike-slip faultof the externaldomainof the Taconicorogen,
207pb/2ø4Pb
= 15.587= 15.60 (M) + 15.49 (S), M = 0.88, S = 0.12 Appalachians, Quebec, andmetallogenic implications:Canadian Journal
'2øSpb/'2ø4pb
= 37.858 = 38.01 (M) + 37.13 (S), M = 0.83, S = 0.17of EarthSciences, v. 28, p. 788-799.
Schrijver,K., Marcoux,E., Beaudoin, G., and Calvez,J.Y.,1988,Pb-Zn
• ¾= averageconcentration
of Pb(inppm)in mudstonesandsandstones; occurrences andtheirPb-isotopic signaturesbearing onmetallogeny and
forX1, X2, andX3 seeexample
of calculation
in equations
2 and3 mineralexploration, Paleozoic sedimentary rocks,norfi•ernAppalachians,
Quebec: Canadian Journal of EarthSciences, v. 25, p. 1777-1790.
Schrijver,K., Zartman,R.E., andWilliams-Jones, A.E., 1994,Leadand
eachdeposit(Table2) showthissametendency. The average bariumsources in Cambrian siliciclastics
andsediment provenance of a
sandstone Pb contribution to depositPb of St-Fabien(0.23) sectorof the Taconicorogen: A mixingscenario basedon Pb-isotopic
is abouttwicethatof thevein-only deposits evidence:AppliedGeochemistry,
(0.14and0.11). Williams-Jones, v. 9, p. 455-476.
A.E., Schrijver, K., Doig,R., andSangster, D.F., 1992,A
Thissuggests thatthedegreeofsandstone permeability mea- modelfor epigenetic Ba-Pb-Znmineralization in the Appalachian thrust
surably controlled theefficiency of leaching of leadfromthe belt, Quebec:Evidencefromfluidinclusions andisotopes: ECONOMIC
sandstones by hydrothermal brines. GEOLOGY, v. 87, p. 154--174.

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by Society of Economic Geologists, Cesar Ricardo Vargas