Fluid inclusion studies have been carried out on major gold deposits and prospects in the Tanami region to determine the compositions
of the associated fluids and the processes responsible for gold mineralization. Pre-ore, milky quartz veins contain only two-phase
aqueous inclusions with salinities ≤19 wt% NaCl eq. and homogenization temperatures that range from 110 to 410°C. In contrast,
the ore-bearing veins typically contain low to moderate salinity (<14 wt% NaCl eq.), H
2O + CO
2 ± CH
4 ± N
2-bearing fluids. The CO
2-bearing inclusions coexist with two-phase aqueous inclusions that exhibit a wider range of salinities (≤21 wt% NaCl eq.).
Post-ore quartz and carbonate veins contain mainly two-phase aqueous inclusions, with a last generation of aqueous inclusions
being very CaCl
2-rich. Salinities range from 7 to 33 wt% NaCl eq. and homogenization temperatures vary from 62 to 312°C. Gold deposits in
the Tanami region are hosted by carbonaceous or iron-rich sedimentary rocks and/or mafic rocks. They formed over a range of
depths at temperatures from 200 to 430°C. The Groundrush deposit formed at the greatest temperatures and depths (260–430°C
and ≤11 km), whereas deposits in the Tanami goldfield formed at the lowest temperatures (≥200°C) and at the shallowest depths
(1.5–5.6 km). There is also evidence in the Tanami goldfield for late-stage isothermal mixing with higher salinity (≤21 wt%
NaCl eq.) fluids at temperatures between 100 and 200°C. Other deposits (e.g., The Granites, Callie, and Coyote) formed at
intermediate depths and at temperatures ranging from 240 to 360°C. All ore fluids contained CO
2 ± N
2 ± CH
4, with the more deeply formed deposits being enriched in CH
4 and higher level deposits being enriched in CO
2. Fluids from deposits hosted mainly by sedimentary rocks generally contained appreciable quantities of N
2. The one exception is the Tanami goldfield, where the quartz veins were dominated by aqueous inclusions with rare CO
2-bearing inclusions. Calculated
δ
18O values for the ore fluids range from 3.8 to 8.5‰ and the corresponding
δD values range from −89 to −37‰. Measured
δ
13C values from CO
2 extracted from fluid inclusions ranged from −5.1 to −8.4‰. These data indicate a magmatic or mixed magmatic/metamorphic source
for the ore fluids in the Tanami region. Interpretation of the fluid inclusion, alteration, and structural data suggests that
mineralization may have occurred via a number of processes. Gold occurs in veins associated with brittle fracturing and other
dilational structures, but in the larger deposits, there is also an association with iron-rich rocks or carbonaceous sediments,
suggesting that both structural and chemical controls are important. The major mineralization process appears to be boiling/effervescence
of a gas-rich fluid, which leads to partitioning of H
2S into the vapor phase resulting in gold precipitation. However, some deposits also show evidence of desulfidation by fluid–rock
interaction and/or reduction of the ore-fluid by fluid mixing. These latter processes are generally more prevalent in the
higher crustal-level deposits.
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