Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) data from the McArthur River ore deposit suggests a hydrothermal origin. The distribution of PAHs indicates fluid temperatures between 250-400°C, which has implications for metal source depth and sulfur transport. This dataset, provided by Geoscience Australia, is an example of applying organic geochemistry to understand sediment-hosted base metal ore formation.
Use Cases
- Modeling hydrothermal fluid temperature and source depth based on PAH isomer distributions.
- Investigating sulfur sources in ore-forming systems based on the inferred high-temperature transport of hydrogen sulfide.
- Comparing organic geochemical signatures of ancient ore deposits with modern hydrothermal systems like the Guaymas Basin.
- Studying paleobiological information and microbiology associated with ancient hydrothermal ore formation.
Strengths
- Data provides evidence for a specific ore formation temperature range of 250-400°C.
- Analysis is based on an 'exquisitely preserved' example of a sediment-hosted base metal deposit.
- Findings are linked to implications for exploration models, including fluid volume and metal source depth.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
Provenance
- Source
- Geoscience Australia Data
- Collection Method
- Organic geochemical analysis of ore and mudstone samples.
- Time Range
- Paleoproterozoic era
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-04-20 03:10:29.560054; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- McArthur River deposit, Northern Australia