Evolution of ore-forming fluids in the Bukovik-Kadiica porphyry Cu deposit, Republic of Macedonia

The Bukovik-Kadiica mineralized system is hosted by Tertiary dacitic and andesitic volcanic rocks which have intruded the basement of Palaeozoic schists in the Serbo-Macedonian Massif of eastern Macedonia. The latest geological exploration has confirmed that this porphyry copper mineralization is characterized by a dominance of chalcocite and covellite with associated chalcopyrite, emplectite, and bornite, with the highest grades in a zone of supergene enrichment. Silicification is the dominant alteration within the mineralized system, whilst zones of potassic, phyllic, argillic, propylitic, and advanced argillic alteration are also present. Silicification and sulphide mineralization are located in stockworks in altered dacite and andesite breccia. Dissolution of primary sulphides and chemical leaching are evident in the zones of oxidation, dominated by limonite breccia. The main copper mineralization has a vertical extent between 90 and 220 m. Fluid inclusion studies of mineralized quartz veins have identified three separate groups of fluids: saline inclusions which homogenize at 326-501 °C and have a salinity of 32-45 wt% NaCl equiv., vapour-dominated inclusions which homogenize at 438-497 °C and have a salinity of 6-16 wt% NaCl equiv., and more dilute, two-phase vapour–liquid inclusions that homogenize at 360-627 °C and have a salinity of 3-24 wt% NaCl equiv