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Quan, Hongyan, Graham, Ian, Worland, Rohan, Adler, Lewis, Dietz, Christian, Madayag, Emmanuel, Wang, Huixin, French, David (2025) Interpreting the Complexity of Sulfur, Carbon, and Oxygen Isotopes From Sulfides and Carbonates in a Precious Metal Epithermal Field: Insights From the Permian Drake Epithermal Au-Ag Field of Northern New South Wales, Australia. Minerals, 15 (2). doi:10.3390/min15020134

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Reference TypeJournal (article/letter/editorial)
TitleInterpreting the Complexity of Sulfur, Carbon, and Oxygen Isotopes From Sulfides and Carbonates in a Precious Metal Epithermal Field: Insights From the Permian Drake Epithermal Au-Ag Field of Northern New South Wales, Australia
JournalMinerals
AuthorsQuan, HongyanAuthor
Graham, IanAuthor
Worland, RohanAuthor
Adler, LewisAuthor
Dietz, ChristianAuthor
Madayag, EmmanuelAuthor
Wang, HuixinAuthor
French, DavidAuthor
Year2025Volume<   15   >
Issue<   2   >
URL
DOIdoi:10.3390/min15020134Search in ResearchGate
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Mindat Ref. ID17968211Long-form Identifiermindat:1:5:17968211:7
GUID0
Full ReferenceQuan, Hongyan, Graham, Ian, Worland, Rohan, Adler, Lewis, Dietz, Christian, Madayag, Emmanuel, Wang, Huixin, French, David (2025) Interpreting the Complexity of Sulfur, Carbon, and Oxygen Isotopes From Sulfides and Carbonates in a Precious Metal Epithermal Field: Insights From the Permian Drake Epithermal Au-Ag Field of Northern New South Wales, Australia. Minerals, 15 (2). doi:10.3390/min15020134
Plain TextQuan, Hongyan, Graham, Ian, Worland, Rohan, Adler, Lewis, Dietz, Christian, Madayag, Emmanuel, Wang, Huixin, French, David (2025) Interpreting the Complexity of Sulfur, Carbon, and Oxygen Isotopes From Sulfides and Carbonates in a Precious Metal Epithermal Field: Insights From the Permian Drake Epithermal Au-Ag Field of Northern New South Wales, Australia. Minerals, 15 (2). doi:10.3390/min15020134
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Abstract/NotesThe Drake Goldfield, also known as Mount Carrington, is located in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia. It contains a number of low–intermediate-sulfidation epithermal precious metal deposits with a current total resource of 724.51 metric tons of Ag and 10.95 metric tons of Au. These deposits occur exclusively within the Drake Volcanics, a 60 × 20 km NW-SE trending sequence of Late Permian volcanics and related epiclastics. Drilling of the Copper Deeps geochemical anomaly suggests that the volcanics are over 600 m thick. The Drake Volcanics are centered upon a geophysical anomaly called “the Drake Quiet Zone” (DQZ), interpreted to be a collapsed volcanic caldera structure. A total of 105 fresh carbonate samples were micro-drilled from diamond drillcores from across the field and at various depths. A pXRD analysis of these carbonates identified five types as follows: ankerite, calcite, dolomite, magnesite, and siderite. Except for three outlier values (i.e., −21.32, −19.48, and 1.42 ‰), the δ13CVPDB generally ranges from−15.06 to −5.00 ‰, which is less variable compared to the δ18OVSMOW, which varies from −0.92 to 17.94 ‰. μ-XRF was used to analyze the elemental distribution, which indicated both syngenetic/epigenetic relationships between calcite and magnesite. In addition, a total of 53 sulfide samples (primarily sphalerite and pyrite) from diamond drillcores from across the Drake Goldfield were micro-drilled for S isotope analysis. Overall, these have a wide range in δ34SCDT values from −16.54 to 2.10 ‰. The carbon and oxygen isotope results indicate that the fluids responsible for the precipitation of carbonates from across the Drake Goldfield had complex origins, involving extensive mixing of hydrothermal fluids from several sources including those of magmatic origin, meteoric fluids and fluids associated with low-temperature alteration processes. Sulfur isotope ratios of sulfide minerals indicate that although the sulfur was most likely derived from at least two different sources; magmatic sulfur was the dominant source while sedimentary-derived sulfur was more significant for the deposits distal from the DQZ, with the relative importance of each varying from one deposit to another. Our findings contribute to a greater understanding of Au-Ag formation in epithermal environments, particularly in collapsed calderas, enhancing exploration strategies and models for ore deposition.

Map of Localities

Locality Pages

LocalityCitation Details
Drake district, Buller Co., New South Wales, Australia
West Copper Deeps deposit, Drake district, Buller Co., New South Wales, Australia
Gladstone Hill deposit, Drake, Drake Co., New South Wales, Australia
Mozart deposit, Drake, Drake Co., New South Wales, Australia
Strauss Pit, Drake, Drake Co., New South Wales, Australia

Mineral Occurrences

LocalityMineral(s)
Drake district, Buller Co., New South Wales, Australiaⓘ Acanthite, ⓘ Andesite, ⓘ Andesitic tuff, ⓘ Ankerite, ⓘ Calcite, ⓘ Chalcocite, ⓘ Chalcopyrite, ⓘ Covellite, ⓘ Dacitic tuff, ⓘ Digenite, ⓘ Dolomite, ⓘ Electrum, ⓘ Galena, ⓘ Hydrothermal breccia, ⓘ Jalpaite, ⓘ Magnesite, ⓘ Monzonite, ⓘ Mudstone, ⓘ Native Gold, ⓘ Pearceite, ⓘ Plagioclase, ⓘ Polybasite, ⓘ Pyrargyrite, ⓘ Pyrite, ⓘ Quartz, ⓘ Rhyolite, ⓘ Siderite, ⓘ Sphalerite, ⓘ Tennantite Subgroup, ⓘ Tetrahedrite Subgroup, ⓘ Tuff, ⓘ Zircon
Red Rock, Drake district, Buller Co., New South Wales, Australiaⓘ Aikinite, ⓘ Calcite, ⓘ Chalcopyrite, ⓘ Dolomite, ⓘ Electrum, ⓘ Galena, ⓘ Marcasite, ⓘ Native Gold, ⓘ Pyrite, ⓘ Quartz, ⓘ Sphalerite, ⓘ Tetrahedrite Subgroup
West Copper Deeps deposit, Drake district, Buller Co., New South Wales, Australiaⓘ Baryte, ⓘ Calcite, ⓘ Chalcopyrite, ⓘ Dolomite, ⓘ Magnesite, ⓘ Pyrite, ⓘ Quartz, ⓘ Sphalerite, ⓘ Tennantite Subgroup, ⓘ Tetrahedrite Subgroup
White Rock Mine (Silver Queen mine), Drake district, Buller Co., New South Wales, Australiaⓘ Acanthite, ⓘ Ankerite, ⓘ Calcite, ⓘ Chalcopyrite, ⓘ Covellite, ⓘ Dickite, ⓘ Dolomite, ⓘ Galena, ⓘ Jalpaite, ⓘ Native Silver, ⓘ Pearceite, ⓘ Polybasite, ⓘ Pyrargyrite, ⓘ Pyrite, ⓘ Quartz, ⓘ Sphalerite, ⓘ Stephanite, ⓘ Tennantite Subgroup, ⓘ Tetrahedrite Subgroup
White Rock north prospect, Drake district, Buller Co., New South Wales, Australiaⓘ Acanthite, ⓘ Ankerite, ⓘ Calcite, ⓘ Chalcopyrite, ⓘ Covellite, ⓘ Dickite, ⓘ Dolomite, ⓘ Galena, ⓘ Jalpaite, ⓘ Native Silver, ⓘ Pearceite, ⓘ Polybasite, ⓘ Pyrargyrite, ⓘ Pyrite, ⓘ Quartz, ⓘ Sphalerite, ⓘ Stephanite, ⓘ Tennantite Subgroup, ⓘ Tetrahedrite Subgroup
All Nations deposit, Drake, Drake Co., New South Wales, Australiaⓘ Calcite, ⓘ Chalcopyrite, ⓘ Digenite, ⓘ Magnesite, ⓘ Pyrite, ⓘ Quartz, ⓘ Sphalerite, ⓘ Tennantite Subgroup, ⓘ Tetrahedrite Subgroup
Gladstone Hill deposit, Drake, Drake Co., New South Wales, Australiaⓘ Chalcocite, ⓘ Chalcopyrite, ⓘ Covellite, ⓘ Digenite, ⓘ Dolomite, ⓘ Pyrite, ⓘ Quartz, ⓘ Sphalerite, ⓘ Tennantite Subgroup, ⓘ Tetrahedrite Subgroup
Kylo Pit, Drake, Drake Co., New South Wales, Australiaⓘ Calcite, ⓘ Chalcocite, ⓘ Chalcopyrite, ⓘ Covellite, ⓘ Digenite, ⓘ Electrum, ⓘ Galena, ⓘ Magnesite, ⓘ Native Gold, ⓘ Pyrite, ⓘ Quartz, ⓘ Sphalerite, ⓘ Tennantite Subgroup
Lady Hampden Pit (Lady Hampden Mine), Drake, Drake Co., New South Wales, Australiaⓘ Calcite, ⓘ Chalcopyrite, ⓘ Digenite, ⓘ Electrum, ⓘ Galena, ⓘ Native Gold, ⓘ Pearceite, ⓘ Polybasite, ⓘ Pyrite, ⓘ Quartz, ⓘ Sphalerite, ⓘ Tennantite Subgroup, ⓘ Tetrahedrite Subgroup
Mozart deposit, Drake, Drake Co., New South Wales, Australiaⓘ Acanthite, ⓘ Chalcopyrite, ⓘ Galena, ⓘ Pyrite, ⓘ Quartz, ⓘ Tennantite Subgroup, ⓘ Tetrahedrite Subgroup
Silver King Mine 1 (Silver King), Drake, Drake Co., New South Wales, Australiaⓘ Ankerite, ⓘ Calcite, ⓘ Chalcopyrite, ⓘ Dickite, ⓘ Dolomite, ⓘ Galena, ⓘ Pyrite, ⓘ Quartz, ⓘ Sphalerite, ⓘ Tennantite Subgroup, ⓘ Tetrahedrite Subgroup
Strauss Pit, Drake, Drake Co., New South Wales, Australiaⓘ Albite, ⓘ Bornite, ⓘ Calcite, ⓘ Chalcocite, ⓘ Chalcopyrite, ⓘ Covellite, ⓘ Dickite, ⓘ Digenite, ⓘ Dolomite, ⓘ Electrum, ⓘ Galena, ⓘ Magnesite, ⓘ Native Gold, ⓘ Pyrite, ⓘ Quartz, ⓘ Siderite, ⓘ Sphalerite, ⓘ Tennantite Subgroup, ⓘ Tetrahedrite Subgroup


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