Mineralium Deposita

, Volume 23, Issue 4, pp 247–255 | Cite as

Epigenetic tourmalinite and arsenopyrite in the aureole of the Leinster batholith, SE Ireland

  • Anita-Kim Appleby
  • P. J. Williams
Article
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Abstract

Metasomatic tourmaline-quartz-hydromuscovite/phengite-fluorite rocks which locally contain in excess of 40% disseminated arsenopyrite and lesser amounts of pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, molybdenite, rutile, ilmenite and Fe-rich chlorite, occur near the village of Inistioge in SE Ireland. They are developed within Lower Palaeozoic phyllites close to the northwest margin of the southern termination of the Leinster batholith. The mineralization occurs within a belt of anomalously high (Caledonian) strain which was active during batholith-intrusion and which is essentially a product of heterogeneous shortening. Tourmaline constitutes up to 60% of the volume of the metasomatic material and although the lithology exhibits bed-parallel lamination, both detailed field and textural relationships demonstrate its origin to be epigenetic. The mineralization is spatially related to pegmatitic (K-feldspar, fluorite and muscovite-bearing) quartz veins with greisen alteration envelopes composed of coarse-grained muscovite, fluorite, apatite and tourmaline. The mineralized rocks were produced during alteration of aluminous metasediments by magmatic and/or meteoric fluids which were channelled through the high strain zone during cooling of the batholith.

Keywords

Tourmaline Quartz Vein Arsenopyrite Scheelite Molybdenite 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 1988

Authors and Affiliations

  • Anita-Kim Appleby
    • 1
  • P. J. Williams
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of Earth SciencesUniversity of London Goldsmiths' CollegeLondonUnited Kingdom

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