Fluid Inclusion, Rare Earth Element Geochemistry, and Isotopic (O and S) Characteristics of the Ardakan Barite Deposit, Yazd Province, Iran

Abstract

The stratabound barite mineralization occurs in the Ardakan deposit as patches and veins in the dolomites and limestones of the Middle Triassic Shotori Formation. Rare-earth element (REE) geochemistry, O and S isotopes, and fluid inclusion data were used to identify the mode of barite formation. Barite is associated with subordinate fluorite and quartz and, to a lesser extent, with sphalerite, malachite, chrysocolla, and iron and manganese oxide-hydroxides. Barite contains a very low ∑REE concentration (14.80–19.59 ppm) and is enriched in light rare-earth elements (LREEs) relative to heavy rare-earth elements (HREEs). The low ∑REE content and the Ce/La ratio (4.0–6.5) indicate a hydrothermal (terrestrial) origin of the barite. Similar to barite, the ∑REE content in fluorite is low (0.14–6.52 ppm) and suggests a sedimentary setting. The Tb/Ca versus Tb/La diagram also indicates a hydrothermal origin of fluorite. The δ34S values in the barite (+27.9 to +32.4‰) indicate that the sulfur most likely originates from evaporites and/or connate waters from the Late Precambrian to the Lower Cambrian. The δ18O values (+15.9 to +18.1‰) in the barite show that the oxygen originated either from Late Precambrian–Lower Cambrian evaporites or from basinal brines with slightly higher δ18O values than the evaporites. The salinity and homogenization temperature ranges of the aqueous fluid inclusions in barite, fluorite, and quartz (0.88–16.89 wt% NaCl equivalent and 90–270 °C, respectively) reveal that the mineralizing fluids were formed from basinal brines with the participation of heated meteoric water. From this, it is concluded that the Ardakan barite deposit was formed by the meeting of heated, ascending sulfate-bearing meteoric water and cooler, Ba-bearing connate water trapped in the overlying Middle Triassic dolomites and limestones. The Ardakan deposit belongs to the structure-related class and the unconformity-related subclass of barite deposits.