EVIDENCE FOR THE SUPERGENE ORIGIN OF ALUNITE IN SEDIMENT-HOSTED MICRON GOLD DEPOSITS, NEVADA

On the basis of textural features and spatial distributions, both supergene and hypogene origins have been proposed for alunite in sediment-hosted micron gold deposits. If alunite is indeed primary, its presence provides important constraints on the chemistry of the ore fluid. Thus, determination of the genesis of alunite is critical to the understanding of the geologic history of these ore deposits. At the Post deposit in Nevada K/Ar ages of alunite are much younger than the age of mineralization. Sulfur isotope compositions of alunite from several sediment-hosted micron gold deposits are virtually identical to those of sulfides, suggesting that alunite sulfur came from quantitative (closed-system) oxidation of primary sulfide minerals during weathering. Sulfur and oxygen isotope compositions of barite are markedly different from those of alunite. The oxygen and hydrogen isotope compositions of alunite fall in the supergene alunite fields; data for cogenetic kaolinite fall on the kaolinite line, whereas those for hypogene kaolinite do not. From all available petrographic and geochemical data, it would appear that alunite in the micron gold deposits of Nevada is entirely of secondary supergene origin.