Three-dimensional oxygen isotope imaging of convective fluid flow around the Big Bonanza, Comstock lode mining district, Nevada
Economic Geology
By: R.E. Criss, M.J. Singleton, and D.E. Champion
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Abstract
Oxygen isotope analyses of propylitized andesites from the Con Virginia and California mines allow construction of a detailed, three-dimensional image of the isotopic surfaces produced by the convective fluid flows that deposited the famous Big Bonanza orebody. On a set of intersecting maps and sections, the δ18O isopleths clearly show the intricate and conformable relationship of the orebody to a deep, ~500 m gyre of meteoric-hydrothermal fluid that circulated along and above the Comstock fault, near the contact of the Davidson Granodiorite. The core of this gyre (δ18O = 0 to 3.8‰) encompasses the bonanza and is almost totally surrounded by rocks having much lower δ18O values (–1.0 to –4.4‰). This deep gyre may represent a convective longitudinal roll superimposed on a large unicellular meteoric-hydrothermal system, producing a complex flow field with both radial and longitudinal components that is consistent with experimentally observed patterns of fluid convection in permeable media.
Suggested Citation
Criss, R., Singleton, M., and Champion, D., 2000, Three-dimensional oxygen isotope imaging of convective fluid flow around the Big Bonanza, Comstock lode mining district, Nevada: Economic Geology, v. 95, no. 1, p. 131-142, https://doi.org/10.2113/gsecongeo.95.1.131.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Three-dimensional oxygen isotope imaging of convective fluid flow around the Big Bonanza, Comstock lode mining district, Nevada |
| Series title | Economic Geology |
| DOI | 10.2113/gsecongeo.95.1.131 |
| Volume | 95 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Year Published | 2000 |
| Language | English |
| Description | 12 p. |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | Economic Geology |
| First page | 131 |
| Last page | 142 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Nevada |