A comparison of the mineralogy, ore textures, paragenetic sequence, and occurrence of the Permian sandstone-hosted Ag-Cu deposit at Paoli, Oklahoma with the Permian shale-hosted Cu-Ag deposit at Creta, Oklahoma
- Univ. of Missouri, Rolla, MO (United States). Dept. of Geology and Geophysics
Although the sandstone-hosted (Wellington Formation, Leonardian Series) Ag-Cu deposit at Paoli in south-central Oklahoma and the shale-hosted (Flowerpot Shale, Guadalupean Series) Cu-Ag ore deposit at Creta in southwest Oklahoma are both contained in Permian sedimentary rocks, they differ in their mineralogy, ore textures, paragenetic sequence, and occurrence. At Paoli, chalcocite mineralization occurs as replacements of disseminated, diagenetic, pyritohedral pyrite crystals, as replacements of carbonate cement between clastic quartz sand grains, and especially as replacements of hematite that replaces carbonate cement in the host sandstones. In contrast, at Creta the copper sulfide grains occur as replacements of megaspores, colloform pyrite, and pyrrhotite crystals. Ore microscopic study indicates that the paragenetic sequence of ore minerals at Paoli is: pyrite(oldest)-goethite-hematite-covellite-chalcocite-digenite-bornite-chalcopyrite (youngest). Such a sequence is the reverse order of those deposited at Creta and for most copper ore deposits, of all types, elsewhere. The paragenetic sequence at Paoli is interpreted to indicate that the host red-bed sandstones experienced an early introduction of reducing fluids that formed disseminated and cementing pyrite. Subsequent oxidation of that pyrite to form hematite (and minor goethite) probably occurred at the leading edges of roll fronts of oxidizing groundwaters. The paragenetic sequence shows that the copper sulfide formation was from fluids that became progressively more reducing during the deposition of those copper sulfide minerals. The shapes of the ore deposits indicate that the copper ore fluids were ones that moved in the form of roll fronts along Permian stream channels.
- OSTI ID:
- 5075150
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9303210-; CODEN: GAAPBC
- Journal Information:
- Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Vol. 25:3; Conference: 27. annual Geological Society of America (GSA) North-Central Section meeting, Rolla, MO (United States), 29-30 Mar 1993; ISSN 0016-7592
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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