Interactions between saline redbed groundwaters and peritidal carbonates, Spencer Gulf, South Australia

Abstract

A commonly cited model for the genesis of stratiform Cu deposits that lack either igneous or hydrothermal associations has been tested in modern environments, on the northeastern shore of Spencer Gulf, South Australia. In this area, saline continental redbed groundwaters mobilise Fe and Mn from the aquifer sediments and transport these metals to coastal Holocene carbonate complexes. The Spencer Gulf investigations strongly support the contention that terrestrial groundwaters of suitable pH, Eh, and salinity for the transport of high concentrations of Cu, Pb, and Zn may be generated in semi-arid climates, and these groundwaters are capable of mobilising large quantities of metals held in Fe-oxide grain coatings. -from Authors Show more