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Re-Os systematics and age of pyrite associated with stratiform Zn-Pb mineralization in the Howards Pass district, Yukon and Northwest Territories, Canada

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Abstract

Stratiform Zn-Pb deposits hosted in unmetamorphosed carbonaceous and siliceous mudstones of the Ordovician to Silurian Duo Lake Formation define the Howards Pass district in Yukon Territory and Northwest Territories, western Canada. Collectively, the deposits are amongst the largest in the world, containing drill-indicated and inferred resources of 423 Mt at 4.84 % Zn and 1.59 % Pb. Sulphide textures include (a) fine-scale laminations of sphalerite, galena, and pyrite from <0.05 mm to 1 cm thick, interbedded with carbonaceous sedimentary rock; (b) layers of coarse sulphide that are structurally controlled by microfolds; and (c) veins that cut bedding and sulphide laminations. The finely interlaminated nature of sulphides with mudstone has been used as evidence for syngenetic mineralizing processes, whereas paleomagnetic data determined on coarse layered sulphides suggest a Middle Jurassic age of mineralization. Here, we present new rhenium-osmium (Re-Os) isotopic data for 12 pyrite separates obtained from 4 laminated sulphide-rich samples from the XY Central (XYC) and Don (DON) deposits and for 1 unmineralized organic-rich mudstone ∼20 m stratigraphically below the sulphide-bearing zone. Pyrite separates that lack mudstone inclusions (“pure”) from the XYC deposit contain 2.2 to 4.0 ppb Re and 93.4 to 123.4 ppt Os; pure pyrite from the DON deposit is significantly more enriched in Re and Os (34–37 ppb Re; 636.8–694.9 ppt Os). The 187Re/188Os values of pure pyrite separates from the XYC and DON deposits range from 137.6 to 197 and 182.1 to 201.4, respectively. Regression of all pure pyrite Re-Os data from both deposits yields an isochron age of 442 ± 14 Ma (MSWD = 7.4) and an initial 187Os/188Os (Osi) value of 0.71 ± 0.07. The Re-Os age indicates that the early phase of pyrite precipitation (and by inference, sphalerite and galena) occurred during the early Silurian, consistent with biostratigraphic ages of the host rocks. The Osi value of ∼0.8 for earliest Silurian seawater recorded from organic-rich shale in the basal Silurian Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) at Dobs Linn, Scotland is very similar to that provided by the Howards Pass pyrite regression and hence suggests a hydrogenous (seawater) source of Os for the pyrite. Therefore, two possible sources of Os are (1) the Zn- and Pb-bearing hydrothermal fluid that leached Os from footwall sedimentary rocks, which were deposited in seawater, or (2) directly from seawater during precipitation of the pyrite, which suggests that the Os content of the hydrothermal fluid was minor relative to that of seawater.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Jason Dunning and David Legault (formerly with Selwyn Resources Ltd.) and Gabriel Xue (Selwyn Chihong Mining Ltd.) for providing access to drill cores and exploration reports and logistical aid during field work. Edith Martel and Beth Fisher (NTGO) and Bob Hodder (consultant) made our stay at camp possible and guided us in learning the regional geology, sedimentology, and structure of the district. Matt Jodrey (formerly Selwyn Resources Ltd.) assisted with sampling of drill core and rock slabbing. Julie Dumoulin (USGS) examined thin sections, provided petrographic descriptions, and reviewed sections in this report on stratigraphy and biostratigraphic ages. Reviews by Garth Graham, Marc Norman, Kat Suzuki, and AE David Huston greatly improved the manuscript. DS acknowledges the support of the TOTAL endowment fund. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the US Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. Geological Survey, MS 973, Denver, CO, 80225, USA

    Karen D. Kelley

  2. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Durham, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

    David Selby

  3. NWT Geoscience Office, P.O. Box 1320, Yellowknife, NWT X1A 2L9, Canada

    Hendrik Falck

  4. U.S. Geological Survey (Emeritus), MS 954, Reston, VA, 20192, USA

    John F. Slack

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  1. Karen D. Kelley
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Correspondence to Karen D. Kelley.

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Kelley, K.D., Selby, D., Falck, H. et al. Re-Os systematics and age of pyrite associated with stratiform Zn-Pb mineralization in the Howards Pass district, Yukon and Northwest Territories, Canada. Miner Deposita 52, 317–335 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00126-016-0663-y

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