Geochemical fingerprinting of carbonate wall rock alteration at major base metal sulphide deposits in the Otavi Mountain Land, Namibia

Bibliography: leaves 134-147.The Otavi Mountain Land is a base metal ore province in which base metal sulphide deposits are hosted by platform carbonates in a foreland fold-and-thrust belt on the northern edge of the PanAfrican Damara Belt. Deposits have been classified as the Berg Aukas- and Tsumeb- types, based on differences in ore association, stratigraphic position and geochemistry of ores and gangue carbonates. Mineralisation at each of these deposits is accompanied by carbonate alteration in the form of dolomite and calcite veins, carbonate recrystallisation, calcitisation and carbonate silicification. Optical cathodoluminescence imaging, electron probe micro analysis, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, high performance ion chromatography, proton probe micro analysis, stable isotope techniques, and fluid inclusion microthermometry were employed (i) to differentiate between carbonate generations associated with the alteration and mineralisation, particularly for the more economic Tsumeb-type deposits, represented by Tsumeb and Kombat, as well as in comparing between Berg Aukas- and Tsumeb-type deposits; (ii) to set constraints on the fluids effecting such alteration and associated mineralisation; (iii) to determine the relationship of the Khasib Springs deposit, for which little geochemical data exists, to deposits of the Tsumeb-type, and (iv) to identify those parameters which are diagnostic of Tsumeb-type mineralisation