Mineralogy of Skarn Ores from Băița-Bihor, Northern Apuseni Mountains, Romania: A Case Study of Cu-, Bi-, and Sn-minerals

Abstract

The Antoniu, Antoniu North, and Blidar Contact orebodies from the Băița-Bihor skarn deposit, Romania have been investigated using optical and electron microscopy. Electron probe microanalyses were acquired on samples from the Blidar Contact orebody. Bornite is the most abundant Cu-sulfide and hosts native bismuth, joséite-B, emplectite, and wittichenite. Kësterite and ferrokësterite were identified for the first time in the Băița-Bihor deposit; the occurrence of stannite was also confirmed. Temperatures of ore deposition in the Blidar Contact orebody are constrained from the compositions of sphalerite-kësterite and sphalerite-ferrokësterite pairs at 287 ± 25 °C to 310 ± 35 °C, and 447 ± 17 °C to 503 ± 68 °C, respectively.