Genesis of the Blende Carbonate hosted ZN-Pb-Ag deposit, north central Yukon Territory: Geologic, fluid inclusion and isotopic constraints

The Blende zinc-lead-silver deposit, 60 km northeast of Keno City, Yukon Territory, is spatially associated with a mid-Proterozoic fault zone that crosscuts stromatolitic dolostones of the Middle Proterozoic, upper Gillespie Lake Group. It is the largest known strata-bound, carbonate-hosted, zinc-lead deposit in the Yukon Territory. Mineralization, largely epigenetic, consists of sphalerite and galena, with lesser pyrite and chalcopyrite, and trace friebergite in quartz-carbonate veins and veinlets. Veining is zoned from copper- and silver-rich mineralization at the base of the deposit, through lead- and zinc-rich, to zinc-dominated at the top. Detailed cross-section mapping indicates that controls on the deposit are both stratigraphic and structural. Many of the stromatolite beds are mineralized and are especially rich in lead and zinc close to normal faults. Fluid inclusion studies indicate that mineralizing fluids were about 285 degrees C during main-stage mineralization. Sulfur isotope analyses of unmineralized whole-rock samples cluster tightly around an average delta 34 S value of 23.6 + or - 0.4 per mil. The source of sulfur is apparently seawater sulfate, probably from…

Publisher

Government of Yukon

Resources

2

Catalogue metadata updated

2026-09-09