The Reocín zinc-lead deposit, Spain: paleomagnetic dating of a late Tertiary ore body

Mineralium Deposita
By: , and 

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Abstract

The Reocín mine in northern Spain’s Basque–Cantabrian basin exploited a world-class Mississippi Valley-type Zn–Pb deposit. Its epigenetic mineralization is in Urgonian 116 ± 1 Ma dolomitized limestones of the Santillana syncline, which was formed by Oligocene and mid Miocene pulses of the Pyrenean orogeny. Paleomagnetic results (22 sites, 274 specimens) in mineralization isolated a stable remanence (ChRM) in pyrrhotite and minor magnetite inclusions in ore specimens, Zn concentrate, and tailings. A fold test shows that the ChRM is substantially post-folding. The mineralization’s paleopole lies on the European apparent polar wander path and indicates that the mineralization was formed at 15 ± 10 Ma. We postulate that brines originated in underlying Triassic and Lower Cretaceous sedimentary rocks and were driven upward into the host rocks by the hydraulic gradient created by the nearby Asturian massif.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title The Reocín zinc-lead deposit, Spain: paleomagnetic dating of a late Tertiary ore body
Series title Mineralium Deposita
DOI 10.1007/s00126-009-0253-3
Volume 44
Issue 8
Year Published 2009
Language English
Publisher Springer
Description 14 p.
First page 867
Last page 880
Country Spain
Other Geospatial Basque-Cantabrian basin
Online Only (Y/N) N
Additional Online Files (Y/N) N
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