Longevity of fault-controlled fluid flow within a Cu-Au-Mo porphyry (Yukon, Canada) revealed by coupled U-Pb carbonate geochronology and clumped isotope analysis

Carbonate veins are ubiquitous in many ore deposits and are often interpreted as a late stage or cross cutting fluid flow events in the ore deposit history. Faults accommodate rock displacement and the resulting zones of weakness act as conduits for magma and localised magmatic-hydrothermal fluid flow, leading to the formation of ore deposits. Dating of both low temperature veins and brittle fault material has been notoriously difficult because of a lack of ‘datable’ material. Using innovative techniques, it is now possible to date carbonate with the U-Pb isotopic system.

Here we use in-situ U-Pb carbonate geochronology to date a variety of fault material and mineralised and unmineralised veins within a major fault-controlled Cu-Au-Mo porphyry system in the central Yukon, Canadian Cordillera. Over 50 samples have been dated, revealing a long history of faulting and fluid flow in the deposit spreading over 10s of millions of years between ~75 Ma and <20 Ma. We combine petrography, U-Pb carbonate geochronology, trace element geochemistry, and clumped isotope analysis to interpret the full temperature-time evolution of the fluids within the deposit. Our results show the carbonate veins crystallised during the main ore-forming event at ~75 Ma. Subsequently, there was a prolonged period of fault-controlled fluid pulsing that likely concentrated metallic minerals in the deposit. The findings show that carbonate veins are not always late features within ore deposits and are an underutilised resource for understanding the full temporal and fluid evolution of a system. Carbonate U-Pb geochronology is therefore potentially incredibly useful for telling the previously untold and long history of fluid flow in a variety of deposit types.