Fluid Inclusion Studies of Comb Quartz and Stibnite at the Hishikari Au–Ag Epithermal Deposit, Japan

Abstract

Fluid inclusion microthermometry was conducted on late-stage barren comb quartz and the latest stibnite at the Hishikari deposit to characterize the hydrothermal activity responsible for vein formation. Eight fluid inclusion assemblages (i.e. fluid inclusions trapped at the same time, ‘FIAs’) were studied to determine the formation fluid temperatures and salinities for the comb quartz in the Shosen No. 2 vein, Sanjin ore zone, and the stibnite in the Seisen No. 1–1 vein, Yamada ore zone. The average homogenization temperatures (the formation temperatures) of the seven FIAs from the comb quartz were between 207 and 230°C, while the average homogenization temperature (the formation temperature) of an FIA from the stibnite was 113°C. The measured fluid salinities of the seven FIAs from the comb quartz were low, ranging between 0.0 and 1.1 wt% NaCl equiv., indicating that dilute fluids were responsible for the comb quartz formation. By comparison with previous microthermometric data, the formation temperatures of the studied comb quartz were higher than those of columnar adularia and comb quartz at most other veins (generally around 200°C) but were similar to those of columnar adularia at Keisen veins (230°C) in the same ore zone. The higher formation temperatures both in the Shosen and the Keisen veins in the Sanjin ore zone indicate that the fractures corresponding to the vein system at the Sanjin ore zone were main conduits for hot ascending fluids. The low formation temperature of stibnite in the latest stage (113°C) indicates that stibnite precipitation occurred during a waning stage of hydrothermal activity. Combined with previous thermodynamic data on antimony solubilities, the large discrepancy between the formation temperature of the comb quartz (200–230°C) and that of the stibnite suggests that the stibnite may have precipitated as a result of a drastic cooling of the hydrothermal system.