A magmatic-hydrothermal transition in Arkaroola (northern Flinders Ranges, South Australia): from diopside–titanite pegmatites to hematite–quartz growth

A set of Palaeozoic diopside–titanite veins are present in Mesoproterozoic metagranites and metasediments that constitute the basement (Mt Painter Inlier) of the Adelaide Fold Belt (South Australia). These massive veins (up to 1 m) of pegmatitic nature contain large crystals of diopside, LREE–Y-enriched titanite (up to 40 cm in length) and minor amounts of quartz. They can be used to trace the system’s development from a high-temperature magmatic stage through to a massive hydrothermal event. The pegmatitic origin of these veins is evident from a complex fluid-melt inclusion assemblage, consisting of a highly saline inhomogeneous fluid and relicts of melt. Immiscibility of melt and heterogeneous highly saline fluids (exceeding 61 eq. mass% NaCl) is preserved in primary inclusions in diopside and secondary inclusions in titanite, indicating relatively shallow conditions of formation (510 ± 20°C and 130 ± 10 MPa). Graphic intergrowth of diopside and albite occurs at the contact with granitic pegmatites. The system evolved into hydrothermal conditions, which can be deduced from a later population of only fluid inclusions (homogeneous and less saline, ≈ 40 eq. mass% NaCl), trapped around 350 ± 20°C and 80 ± 10 MPa. During quartz crystallization, the conditions moved across the halite liquidus resulting in a heterogeneous mixture of brine and halite crystals, which were trapped at 200 ± 20°C and 50 ± 10 MPa. Brecciation and a palaeo-geothermal system overprinted the pegmatitic veins with an epithermal hematite–quartz assemblage and lesser amounts of bladed calcite and fluorite, in an intermittently boiling hydrothermal system of fairly pure H2O at 100–140°C and 1–5 MPa. Remobilization of LREEs and Y from titanite and/or the granitic host rock is evidenced by precipitation of apatite, allanite and wakefieldite in an intermediate stage. Occasional incorporation of radioactive elements or minerals, presumably U-rich, in the fluorite is responsible for radiolysis of H2O to H2.