Gold-Bearing Breccias of The Rain Mine, Carlin Trend, Nevada
Gold-Bearing Breccias of The Rain Mine, Carlin Trend, Nevada
Gold-Bearing Breccias of The Rain Mine, Carlin Trend, Nevada
TOMMY B. THOMPSON,†
Center for Research in Economic Geology (CREG), Mackay School of Mines/169, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557-0232
Abstract
The Rain mine includes two mined-out open pits that contained 36.4 t (1.17 Moz) gold, averaging 1.8 g/t
gold, and underground reserves, including underground production, estimated at 4.9 t (157,000 oz) gold aver-
aging 7.7 g/t. Rain orebodies are localized in a breccia complex within the hanging wall of the Rain fault and
hosted within the Mississippian Webb Formation immediately overlying the contact with the Devonian Devils
Gate Limestone.
The ore host includes four texturally and genetically distinct breccia types: (1) crackle breccia; (2) hy-
drothermal breccia; (3) tuffisite with accretionary lapilli; and (4) collapse breccia. Crackle breccia forms a cap-
ping over multistage hydrothermal breccias that are cut by tabular- to pipe-shaped tuffisite dikes, with some
containing accretionary lapilli. Pre- and synore hydrothermal breccias formed during at least three episodes of
convective fluidization, followed by quartz-sulfide-barite cementation. High-grade gold was deposited as a late
phase along the upper portion of the hydrothermal breccia mass and extended into the crackle breccia zone.
Collapse breccias occur along the floor of the composite breccia mass and have irregular upper and lower con-
tacts. The lower contact occurs on a dissolution boundary with the Devils Gate Limestone.
Matrix-supported, heterolithic, hydrothermal breccias at Rain consist of sedimentary rock fragments com-
posed of sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, limestone, and conglomerate. Some fragments contain as much as 8
percent introduced biotite in veinlets and/or fragment matrix replacements. The veinlets consist of euhedral
quartz, biotite, sphalerite, and pyrite. Barite constitutes as much as 60 percent of the hydrothermal breccias in
the form of fragments and as a cement to the breccias. Quartz replacement of fragments and as a breccia ce-
ment is pervasive. The total sulfide content in unoxidized ores is less than 5 volume percent.
The Rain orebody resulted from five interpreted stages of development: (1) structural preparation along the
right-lateral oblique Rain fault system and conjugate left-lateral oblique northeast-striking faults; (2) multiple
episodes of hydrothermal breccia formation, with high-grade gold deposition immediately following the last
brecciation event; (3) late channelized and fluidized rock fragments and fine clays forming tuffisite bodies with
accretionary lapilli; (4) postmineral extensional reactivation of structures; and (5) collapse brecciation resulting
from postore supergene acidic fluid ponding on and dissolving the upper Devils Gate Limestone.
The age of the Rain orebody is poorly constrained. It is older than 22 Ma supergene alunite, but no maxi-
mum age constraints other than the Mississippian host rock are known.
E X P L A N AT I O N
Map Planes
1. Rain pit geology shown on pit topography
2. Stopes 1 & 2 shown at decline level (ave. –4 degrees)
3. Zones 3 & 4 shown at –8.3 degrees on decline
Breccia Mine workings
Antiform with plunge
Tuffisite
Synform with plunge
Mississippian Webb
Formation (Mw) Fault (3–50 m
displacement
Dolomitized Devils Gate
Limestone Fault (>50 m
Devonlan Devils Gate dispacement)
Limestone 0 60 120 meters
Devonlan Woodruff
Formation (Dw) 0 200 400 feet
FIG. 2. Generalized geologic map extending from the Rain open pit to the northwest along the underground workings.
The geology northwest of the pit is shown on the inclined plane (average dip 6° northwest) of the underground workings.
The locations of cross sections in Figure 3 (B-B'-B") and Figure 4 are indicated.
Structural Geology fault occurs as less than 3 cm of crushed rock separating bar-
Introduction ren Woodruff rocks from ore-bearing breccias.
En echelon subparallel faults have been recognized in the
Two fault sets dominate the structural geology of the Rain Rain pit, and recent underground exposures have uncovered
area: the northwest-striking Rain fault system, and a north- more and provided information on their significance. These
east-striking fault set (Figs. 2 and 3). The Rain fault system faults include the Galen, in the Rain pit, and the Revelation,
strikes N 40° to 50° W in the open pit but shifts more west- Flower, Phantom, and Hidden, in underground zones 3 and
erly in the underground exposures (N 65°–85° W), and the 4. These faults, striking N 75° to 85° W, diverge 10° to 20°
northeast set strikes N 0° to 45° E (Fig. 2). The Rain fault from the Rain fault and occur as nonconnected en echelon
dips 68° to 80° SW in the open pit, but in the underground segments commonly less than 470 m long. The Flower,
exposures to the northwest it flattens to 38° W. The northeast- Galen, and Hidden faults dip 55° to 85° SW, subparallel to the
striking faults generally dip 45° to 78° northwesterly. Ob- Rain fault, whereas the Phantom and Revelation faults dip
served slickenlines on the Rain fault in the open pit rake 17° 50° to 60° NE toward the Rain fault. In zones 3 and 4, the re-
to 30° S. sultant geometry is a series of uplifted and outward-flaring
blocks (Fig. 4) forming a classic positive flower structure
Rain fault system (Wilcox et al., 1973).
The Rain fault is the district’s dominant structure in terms Exposures of the Rain subparallel faults in zones 3 and 4
of offset and proximity to ore (Fig. 2) and it is traceable for are subtle; the aptly named Phantom fault is expressed as a
more than 11 km. The fault places barren Woodruff Forma- set of fractures each less than 2 cm wide, forming a 2-m-wide
tion rocks in the footwall against the Webb Formation-Devils zone. Displacement of the Devils Gate Limestone-Webb
Gate Limestone contact in the hanging wall with at least 625 Formation contact is less than 6 m, and postore offset is in-
m of apparent reverse displacement. At ore levels, the Rain determinate due to contrasting ore thickness across the fault
B" B' B
V6600
V6400 6400V
LOWER
PORTAL
V6200 6200V
V6000 6000V
V5800 5800V
Offset in section
EXPLANATION
Major Faults showing slip direction
Tuffisite
Moderate Faults showing slip direction Breccia
3.4 g/t Gold Orebody Outline meters
Webb Formation
projected declines feet
contact Devils Gate Limestone
FIG. 3. Longitudinal geologic cross section B-B'-B" of Rain underground workings showing rock units, including the com-
posite breccia mass and the gold orebody. Location of cross section is shown on Figure 2.
(Figs. 4 and 5). Despite obscure exposures, the Phantom fault 6A). In contrast, the footwall rocks are tightly folded (Fig. 6B)
juxtaposes 17.1 g/t gold-bearing breccia with visually identical into south-plunging asymmetrical folds at considerable dis-
but virtually barren breccia. The Revelation fault is a 15- to tances from the Rain fault, and fold axes are oriented per-
35-m-wide weakly argillized zone with minor southwest- and pendicular to the Antler-related principal stress field (Stew-
northeast-dipping shears and anastomosing tuffisite dikes and art, 1980). The consistent southward plunge suggests that the
sills (see below for description of tuffisites) that range from footwall block has been rotated after the folds formed. In
several centimeters to 5 m wide. The zone dips toward the close proximity to the Rain or subparallel faults, the folds
Rain fault and has 15 m of apparent reverse offset of the Dev- have been rotated to southwest- or west-southwest orienta-
ils Gate Limestone surface. Orebody offset is uncertain be- tions consistent with drag associated with right-lateral separa-
cause ore is thin or absent in the hanging wall and more than tion. Smith and Ketner (1968) have mapped steeply dipping
30 m thick in the footwall. The Flower fault dips southwest Eocene rocks just 2 km southeast of the Rain deposit that are
with the Rain fault and exhibits apparent reverse displace- folded into a southward-plunging syncline with dips as much
ment of 18 m of the Devils Gate Limestone-Webb Formation as 70° E on the west limb, indicating post-Eocene folding.
contact, but only 6 m of normal offset on the gold-bearing body. These dips in younger rocks suggest that the Paleozoic rocks
Attempts at palinspastic restoration of the Rain fault set in along the Rain fault hanging wall may have been more steeply
two-dimensional cross sections reveal problems with volume inclined prior to the Eocene.
loss and gain. These problems cannot be rectified without While the age of original displacement on the Rain fault is
moving material in and out of the section plane. Such space unknown, lamprophyre dikes, localized along the fault north-
problems can be accommodated using a strike-slip displace- west of the mine, area have been dated as Jurassic in age in
ment interpretation (Sylvester, 1988). the northern Carlin trend. The fault appears to be pre-Juras-
Folds provide additional information on the history of the sic from those relationships.
Rain fault. In the Rain pit, the asymmetric Kilo anticline oc-
curs in the hanging wall of the Rain fault (Fig. 2). The fold Northeast fault set
axis diverges from the Rain fault in the southernmost expo- The northeast fault set strikes N 0° to 45° E (Fig. 2), dip-
sures. Other folds in the hanging wall rocks are broad open ping 50° to 60° NW with 3 to 60 m of apparent normal dis-
folds trending southwest with shallow plunges (Figs. 2 and placement. Antithetic structures dipping 50° to 85° SE with 2
FIG. 4. Structural cross section showing zone 4 flower structure, hydrothermal breccia, and the gold orebody. Location of
cross section is shown on Figure 2. Double-pronged arrows indicate faults that underwent early transpressional offset fol-
lowed by extensional displacement.
to 15 m offsets are also present, but less common (Fig. 3). fault in the footwall of the Shop fault, although it lies against
Fault spacings are less than 16 m, and faults exhibit listric the Rain fault in its hanging wall (Fig. 5). The remaining 80
geometries and rotation of offset blocks. The faults anasto- percent of the northeast structures had no influence on gold
mose, especially in the brittle silicified ore horizon, forming distribution, have strikes of N 20°–45° E, and appear to have
rhombohedral blocks. Changes in fault dips range as much as formed later during an extensional event. Most, if not all, of
60° over 15 m of strike, and structures locally roll from north- the earlier ore-controlling faults were reactivated by this later
west to southeast dips even at the underground rib scale (4 event.
vertical m).
Near the Rain and its subparallel faults, northeast fault Controls on the Rain orebody
geometries are even more complex. Anastomosing northeast- The geometry and grades of gold concentrations closely
striking faults may be spaced every 3 m, and dramatic strike parallel the Rain and earlier northeast faults (Fig. 5). The
and dip changes occur over short distances. The northeast- Rain fault zone is generally low grade, but the subparallel
striking structures consistently offset the Rain fault. However, faults (e.g., the Galen fault in the Rain pit) are closely associ-
Rain subparallel faults may offset the northeast set, or offsets ated with high-grade zones as well as breccia masses. The ore-
between the two may alternate with Rain subparallel faults body widens (by as much as six times) within the zone 4 area,
offsetting the northeast set and, in turn, being offset by other where Rain subparallel faults (e.g., Revelation and Flower
northeast faults. faults; Fig. 5) are developed. Similarly, the northeast-trending
The northeast fault set can be divided into two groups: one faults (e.g., Montrose, Barite, and Mystery faults; Fig. 5) lo-
clearly influencing gold deposition as well as offsetting ore, calized sharp grade changes in the ore zone. Similar bound-
and the other clearly postore, i.e. offsetting the orebody and aries are apparent in grade-thickness maps of the Rain ore-
rock units. Approximately 20 percent of the northeast-striking body.
faults controlled and localized breccia development and sub-
sequent gold introduction (Fig. 5). These faults have a strike Structural interpretations
of N 0° to 20° E. For example, a strong ore grade and thick- Mutually offsetting and complex intersections between the
ness enrichment occurs in the football of the Pyrite fault. In the Rain fault system and ore-controlling northeast-striking faults
Rain pit, breccia formation was clearly intensified along the and their mutual true angular separations of 60° to 75° sug-
Sharpstone fault, which shows sharply enhanced ore grade gest reactivation of an earlier set that formed as a conjugate
and thickness in its hanging wall. Some northeast-striking set to the Rain fault. Fault geometries, flower structures, fold
faults also form breaks where ore is shifted laterally across the orientations, and kinematic indicators provide strong evidence
fault. For example, gold ore occurs along a Rain subparallel for formation in a right-lateral transpressional environment as
FLOWER FLT
REVELATION FLT
FIG. 5. Map showing average grade of gold in the Rain pit and in underground workings (stopes 1 and 2, zones 3 and 4).
defined by Sylvester (1988). Fault geometries in the Rain fault attitude, yield slip-line directions of 12° to 15°, N 27° to
subdistrict are similar to simple-shear models for strike-slip 48° E, suggesting left-lateral separation on the northeast
fault systems (Sylvester, 1988; Fig. 6C–D). The angular sepa- faults (Fig. 6C). Most observed rakes range between 16° and
rations of 60° to 75° match predictions by Sylvester’s (1988) 66° NE.
model for conjugate or antithetic shears. Strong support for a strike-slip component to Rain fault dis-
Stereonet analyses indicate the average Flower fault atti- placement is the presence of a flower structure in the Rain
tude lies at a true angular separation of 14° from the average underground zone 4. Transpression or converging strike slip
Rain fault orientation. The geometry suggests that it may on a fault bend (Fig. 6E) provides a component of horizontal
have formed as a synthetic or Riedel shear (Hodgson, 1989) shortening, forcing compensatory uplift. The result is a series
during Rain fault oblique-slip motion. If so, a stereonet solu- of slabs that rise upward and outward on convex-up faults
tion indicates a 13°, S 51° E slip-line direction, or right-lateral over the adjacent blocks like stacked imbricate thrusts
reverse oblique displacement on the Rain fault (Fig. 6D). (Sylvester, 1988). This arrangement was first termed a posi-
Similarly, the Rain and Revelation faults’ slip-line solution is tive flower structure by Wilcox et al. (1973).
3°, S 58° E. Similar stereonet analyses for the Rain open pit In addition, assuming the ore-controlling northeast-striking
area yield rake solutions on the Rain fault of 25° to 35°, S faults and the Rain fault formed as a conjugate set, stereonet
51°–56° E, or right-lateral reverse oblique slip (Fig. 6C). The analysis indicates a principal stress direction (σ1) of 0° to 10°,
average Rain fault attitude and average orientations of 50 S 7° W, an orientation that would yield a significant right-lat-
northeast-striking fault planes (type examples of ore-control- eral component of displacement on the Rain fault set and left-
ling northeast structures) are at a true angular separation of lateral strike-slip motion on the antithetic conjugate north-
63°, suggesting conjugate symmetry (Fig. 6D). Notably simi- east-striking set (Fig. 6C-E). Finally, slickenlines on both
lar to the Rain and Rain subparallel fault solutions, the pre- fault sets locally show low-angle slip directions consistent with
dicted slip-line direction for the Rain fault with the average the projected stereonet solutions. Thrust fault orientations in
northeast fault data is 10°, S 48° E, again indicating domi- the Rain footwall rocks indicate south-directed compression
nantly strike-slip movement. Within the open pit area, the based on south-vergent fold axes adjacent to the thrusts. The
northeast-striking faults, when compared to the average Rain modification of Antler-related fold orientations (north-south)
A. B.
D.
C.
E.
Zone of
Transpression
Rain
Pit
FIG. 6. Structural data from Rain mine. Stereonets are projections onto the lower hemisphere of Schmidt nets. A. Poles
to bedding stereonet, hanging wall of Rain fault. B. Poles to bedding stereonet, footwall of Rain fault. C. Stress-field orien-
tation from faults in the Rain open pit, showing predicted rakes on Rain fault. D. Stress-field orientations from faults in the
Rain underground workings. E. Schematic map of faults in the Rain mine area, showing zone of transpression with associ-
ated flower faults.
by later tilting and shear-related rotation of fold axes to south- Crackle breccia
west or west trends is consistent with shear-related modifica- Crackle breccia is characterized by dilatant fractures with
tion of the older folds. matching walls (Fig. 7A), grading downward into fragment-
The district-scale effect of the northeast set is a series of supported breccia. The breccia typically contains more than
dominolike blocks dropped down to the northwest, with 85 percent fragments, and the average interfragment to frag-
horsts and grabens formed locally by the antithetic set (Figs. ment ratio (I/F) is 5:95. The breccia is cemented by inter-
3 and 4). The geometry is similar to other domino-style fault fragment rock flour, fine fragments of Webb Formation rocks,
arrays with both planar rotational faults and listric fault con- barite, and quartz. Fragments are angular and delicate with
figurations, as described by Wernicke and Birchfiel (1982) little evidence of abrasion, rotation, or transport. Fragments
and McClay and Ellis (1987). The structural style is com- commonly form a jigsaw-puzzle texture, where pieces can be
monly associated with extensional tectonics (Proffett, 1977; fit back together. Crackle breccia ranges from 12 cm to 14 m
Gans et al., 1985). Postore displacement is interpreted to be thick as an irregular cap to the composite breccia mass, in-
associated with Basin and Range extension, regionally esti- creasing in thickness where associated with prebreccia north-
mated at 64 to 100 percent (Wernicke and Birchfiel, 1982). west- and northeast-striking faults.
The more easterly striking (N 20°–45° E) northeast-trending The Webb Formation-crackle breccia contact is typically
fault set geometries agree well with Basin and Range listric marked by a sharp contact between refractory and oxide ores,
normal fault models proposed by Proffett (1977), Wernicke with the crackle breccia oxidized beneath as much as 350 m
and Birchfiel (1982), and Gans et al. (1985). of overlying unoxidized, carbonaceous Webb and Chainman
Regional implications of an ore-controlling Formations. Drilling to the northwest beyond the current
right-lateral fault event workings, however, shows that the crackle breccia becomes
Transpressional right-lateral motion on the Rain fault sys- carbonaceous and sulfidic with increasing depth. The Webb
tem would have required northwest-southeast-directed com- Formation is intensely argillized within 14 m of the contact
pression. Nearly identical deformation with ore-controlling with the crackle breccia; this alteration is commonly fracture-
northwest-striking faults and folds has been documented controlled but locally pervasive. The matrix and margins of
south of Rain in the Alligator Ridge area (Nutt, 1997) and at fragments in the crackle breccia exhibit weak to intense silica
South Bullion (Putnam and Henriques, 1991). At the Gold replacement, accompanied by 1 to 5 percent barite. Primary
Quarry mine (23 km north of the Rain mine), the N 45° W sedimentary textures in fragments are preserved. The crackle
striking Good Hope reverse fault and secondary northeast- breccia contains some of the highest gold grades in the mine,
striking faults localize that orebody (Rota, 1996). Cole (1995) locally exceeding 34 g/t. Higher grades are associated with
documented strike-slip kinematic indicators on northwest- more intense silica replacement. Like the oxide-refractory con-
and northeast-striking faults in the pit area. Using those aver- tact, the grade cutoff between crackle breccia and overlying
age strikes, stereonet solutions predict a principal stress di- argillized Webb Formation is extremely sharp, with changes
rection of 20°, S 10° E at Gold Quarry, similar to the orienta- from 34 g/t to less than 0.2 g/t over several centimeters.
tion predicted from the Rain mine fault data.
B. Putnam and D. McFarlane (written commun., 1990) Heterolithic, matrix-supported breccia
suggested that the Carlin trend is controlled by a regional- The contact between the overlying crackle breccia and un-
scale N 45° W wrench fault system consisting of northwest- derlying heterolithic, matrix-supported breccia is invariably
striking right-slip faults and northeast-striking left-slip faults. sharp and scoured, with local protrusions of the latter upward
Shawe (1965) has recognized a similar wrench-fault fabric into the crackle breccia. Three brecciation events can be dis-
throughout Nevada. Strike-slip displacement on the Carlin tinguished within the heterolithic, matrix-supported breccia.
trend may be an inboard manifestation of oblique collision of The products of these events, termed breccias A, B, and C,
the North American and Pacific crustal plates beginning in are described below and are also divided into oxidized and
the late Mesozoic and peaking in the Cenozoic (B. Putnam unoxidized varieties. The recognition of breccias A, B, and C
and D. McFarlane, written commun., 1990). comes primarily from Rain pit mapping by Williams (1992).
Breccia and Mineral Paragenesis
Breccia A: The first breccia event is now principally repre-
Introduction sented by blocks of breccia A within later breccia products
The Rain orebody is hosted entirely within a relatively flat- (Williams, 1992). Breccia A comprises only 10 percent of the
lying breccia mass. In cross sections oriented northeast- composite breccia mass and, where present as an intact brec-
southwest, perpendicular to the Rain fault, the breccia mass cia product, it occurs as relicts on the margin of the compos-
is a wedge-shaped body above the Devils Gate Limestone- ite breccia mass. The breccia A blocks consist of matrix- to
Webb Formation contact. It is thickest adjacent to the Rain or local fragment-supported heterolithic breccias with I/F val-
Rain subparallel faults and adjacent to conjugate northeast- ues ranging from 12:88 to 35:65. Fragments are angular to
erly faults (Fig. 3). The breccia mass is traceable for more rounded and less than 5 cm wide (Fig. 7B). Fragments in-
than 5 km along the Rain fault. Four texturally distinct brec- clude 30 to 80 percent silicified sedimentary rocks (locally in-
cia types are recognized: (1) crackle breccia; (2) heterolithic, cluding upward-transported Devils Gate Limestone), 40 to 90
matrix-supported breccia; (3) tuffisite with accretionary percent vein material, 0 to 15 percent biotite-altered silt-
lapilli; and (4) basal heterolithic breccia on the Devils Gate stone, 0 to 8 percent biotite vein fragments, and 0 to 9 per-
Limestone upper contact. cent pyrite vein fragments.
A B
C D
E F
G H
FIG. 7. Photographs of rocks from the Rain mine. A. Crackle breccia in carbonaceous Webb siltstone cemented by barite
(white). B. Heterolithic matrix-supported hydrothermal breccia A from Rain pit adjacent to the Sharpstone fault; siltstone
(s) and barite (white) fragments are in a weakly silicified rock flour matrix; scale is cm. C. Photomicrograph of flow-oriented
fluidized matrix in breccia B around fragments and rounded quartz detritus, and cut by irregular barite veinlets (white). D.
Photomicrograph of matrix barite euhedra and microcrystalline quartz matrix from hydrothermal breccia C stage. E. Pho-
tomicrograph of pyrite (Py)-quartz vein fragment in Rain hydrothermal breccia. F. Photomicrograph of pyritized hydrother-
mal breccia fragment with diffusion banding indicating pyrite introduction after breccia development. G. Accretionary lapilli
(a) with slump flattening of lapilli (arrows) from tabular fluidized dikes in the Rain open pit; scale is cm. H. Photomicrograph
of silicified accretionary lapilli (a) with multiple concentric bands in fluidized and fragment-aligned hydrothermal breccia.
Sedimentary rock fragments include weakly to intensely cement and breccia B fragments. Voids and fractures in brec-
silicified sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, limestone, and con- cia C are commonly filled with subhedral barite, drusy quartz,
glomerate. Some fragments contain up to 8 percent intro- and later phosphate minerals including metavariscite, cran-
duced biotite in 2 mm-long grains encapsulating detrital dallite, and wavellite. Breccia C is also commonly cut by low-
quartz grains. Veinlets of biotite in silicified sedimentary rock angle barite veins up to 1 m thick.
fragments are locally present. The veinlets contain as much as Pyrite occurs as fragments in all three breccia types. Addi-
70 percent biotite encapsulating quartz (detrital and veinlet tionally, some rocks and veinlets contained pyrite prior to
euhedra), sphalerite, and pyrite. Local barite (60–100%), eu- being fragmented (Fig. 7E), whereas others had pyrite intro-
hedral quartz, pale green sphalerite (1–5%), euhedral pyrite duced after fragmentation (Fig. 7F), with pyrite bands sub-
(1–5%,) and traces of realgar in veinlets with grain sizes rang- parallel to fragment margins.
ing from 1 to 5 mm cut the biotite veinlets and matrix of brec-
cia A fragments. Locally these later sulfidic veins are domi- Tuffisite and accretionary lapilli
nantly pyrite (98%), with irregular sphalerite inclusions in the Williams (1992) identified irregular bodies composed of
pyrite or as anhedral grains less than 1 mm long, and contain clay-sized fragments containing accretionary lapilli that cross-
trace amounts of arsenopyrite and arsenian pyrite identified cut crackle and heterolithic, matrix-supported breccias in the
by X-ray and spectral analysis of pyrite grains. Pyrite veins Rain open pit, locally extending into the Webb Formation
with pyrite fragments in a pyrite cement have been observed above the breccia. The zones occur as pipelike, dikelike, and
(Williams, 1992). The sulfide veinlets do not extend out of silllike bodies with 40 to 80 percent lapilli in a rock flour ma-
breccia A blocks, indicating that they formed prior to subse- trix. The lapilli range from 1 mm to 1.2 cm in diameter. Thin
quent breccia events. section and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses indicate they are
Grains in the breccia A matrix are less than 1 mm in diam- composed of rock flour particles (<0.05 to 0.5 mm; Fig. 7G,
eter and consist of rock flour with variable detrital and vein- H) composed of 20 to 50 percent illite platelets less than 0.03
let quartz, pyrite, biotite, barite, illite, organic carbon, iron ox- mm long, 30 to 50 percent quartz as angular to rounded frag-
ides, and kaolinite. Breccia A is overprinted by silica flooding ments less than 0.05 mm in diameter, 5 to 15 percent barite
with distinctive reticulate texture containing traces of copre- as subangular to rounded fragments, 0 to 5 percent jarosite as
cipitated pyrite and sphalerite. pseudomorphs after pyrite fragments, 0 to 80 percent phos-
phates (metavariscite and crandallite) as local replacements
Breccia B: Intact breccia B constitutes about 20 percent of of all other minerals, and traces of microcrystalline goethite,
the composite breccia body and is common closer to the mar- dussertite, kaolinite, and alunite (Williams, 1992). One of the
gins of the entire mass or in blocks throughout the later brec- better exposures in a bench face (now mined away) was a
cias. Matrix- to local fragment-supported breccias with I/F pipelike body 11 m wide cutting banded breccia C along a
values ranging between 40:60 and 15:85 typify breccia B. well-defined and scoured contact; the pipe contained early-
Banding represented by generally steeply inclined tabular stage consolidated accretionary lapilli breccia cut by pipelets
fragments with deflections of finer matrix around fragments of later, poorly consolidated accretionary lapilli in a rock flour
(Fig. 7C) are characteristic. Fragments up to 6 cm in maxi- matrix. The more consolidated portion of the pipe contained
mum size include 20 to 60 percent prebreccia silicified frag- fragments or blocks with accretionary lapilli in rock flour ma-
ments, 20 to 80 percent early vein material from breccia A, trix; the blocks were as much as 1 m wide. Accretionary lapilli
and 10 to 50 percent other breccia A fragments. Breccia B in the blocks showed variable flattening (Fig. 7G). Such
matrix is rock flour with quartz euhedra fragments from brec- slumping is common in lapilli pipes due to periodic decreased
cia A, detrital quartz, pyrite, and barite. Oxidized portions of fluid pressure and subsequent compaction (McCallum,
the breccia contain jarosite, dussertite, goethite, kaolinite, 1985). Similar accretionary lapilli zones have been observed
and alunite. Microcrystalline quartz floods and replaces ma- in core recovered from underground drill stations.
trix and fragment margins in breccia B. In the underground portion of the Rain mine, similar ir-
regular to tabular, light gray, fine-grained clayey masses occur
Breccia C: Breccia C constitutes approximately 70 percent along northwest- and northeast-striking faults, as well as in ir-
of the composite breccia mass and is the most well-developed regular bodies through the heterolithic breccia. They com-
along northwest- and northeast-trending faults. It is a matrix- monly contain white spherical clay masses (accretionary
supported, heterolithic breccia with I/F values ranging from lapilli) less than 1 mm in diameter. In some, the white clay has
10:90 to 60:40. Fragments are angular to well rounded and been removed, leaving small spherical cavities with a white
less than 6 cm wide. Steep to nearly horizontal banding is rind of clay. Locally, these bodies have alternating light- and
common. Fragments include 20 to 70 percent breccia A vein- dark-colored layers composed of fine-grained rock flour (light
lets, 20 to 60 percent prebreccia silicified sedimentary frag- colored) and sulfidic fragments (dark colored). The banding
ments, 10 to 40 percent breccia A, 10 to 40 percent breccia B, occurs along the margins of the bodies, whereas the medial
and 0 to 5 percent biotite vein fragments. The matrix is simi- portions, which have disseminated marcasite, have no appar-
lar to that of breccia B. Unlike breccias A and B, however, ent fragment orientation. Petrographic studies of these
breccia C is cemented with calcite inclusion-rich barite as masses indicate they are composed entirely of fine fragmen-
laths and rosettes up to 9 mm long, or locally by microcrys- tal material without any significant cement. As a result, the
talline hydrothermal quartz (Fig. 7D). Black barite is locally bodies are particularly unstable in underground exposures
present as cement, with fine carbon fragments providing the and require additional mine support. They are classified as
color. Diagnostic properties of breccia C include coarse barite tuffisites due to the interpreted process of their emplacement
Mw
Mw
Dw
Dw
Ddg Ddg
Mw
Mw
Dw
Ddg Dw
Ddg
FIG. 9. Diagrammatic southwest-northeast cross sections of the Rain pit area illustrating the evolution of the Rain mine
faults and breccias (Mw = Webb Formation; Ddg = Devils Gate Limestone; Dw = Woodruff Formation). A. Structural
preparation adjacent to the Rain right-oblique fault (T= toward viewer and A= away from the viewer) and subparallel fault,
showing their offset by northeast-striking structures that are subparallel to the plane of the section; Rain subparallel faults
flatten outward, forming a flower structure (see Fig. 3 for a true crosssection). B. Introduction of hydrothermal fluids with
initiation of hydrothermal breccia formation exhibiting a transition through crackle breccia (cross-hatch pattern) into over-
lying Webb siltstones; wall-rock alteration and gold introduction occurred during this stage. C. Late-stage fluidization along
faults forming tuffisite dikes, locally containing accretionary lapilli, crosscutting hydrothermal breccia (triangle-symbol pat-
tern). D. Postore offsets of breccia and orebody occur along northeast-striking extensional, antithetic faults (shown dia-
grammatically merging with earlier northeast-striking faults that offset the Rain fault); oxidation of sulfides accompanies
downward percolation of acid groundwater, which also argillizes the breccias near the floor of the breccia mass, dissolves car-
bonates, and forms collapse breccias (square-symbol pattern) replaced by clays and alunite with local cavern development.
locally exhibiting flow orientation (Fig. 7C), and thorough the late stages of breccia formation with the pyrite-marcasite
mixing of fragment types derived from above and below the deposition, primarily in arsenian rims on marcasite.
position of the observed breccia. The breccia appears to have
extended upward along the Rain fault, and it clearly extended Stage 3
laterally along the Webb-Devils Gate contact as well. This lat- Stage 3 represents the late stage of hydrothermal activity
eral breccia extension may have been the result of lower per- during which time the discordant tuffisite dikes with local ac-
meability upward into the Webb Formation due to formation cretionary lapilli formed, principally along narrow fault-local-
of the clay alteration capping over the crackle breccia zone, ized conduits (Fig. 9C). Although these are locally mineral-
forcing doming of the overlying rocks and lateral fluid flow ized, they appear to have been emplaced late in the
within the strongly broken and argillized contact zone. The hydrothermal cycle, possibly deriving their gold content from
Devils Gate Limestone adjacent to the northwest- and north- the rocks through which they were emplaced. We interpret
east-trending faults was dolomitized. Gold was deposited in that the Rain hydrothermal system did not freely vent to the
paleosurface and thus retained a high proportion of the rock part of this research. Sulfur isotope analyses were performed
flour generated during fluidized brecciation. Accretionary by Geochron Laboratories, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
lapilli form when fluids vent through cohesive clay-sized ma-
terial (McCallum, 1985) by accretion of electrostatically April 27, 1998; October 1, 1999
charged fine sand and clay particles to a central grain and
each other (Woolsey, 1973; McCallum, 1985; Baker et al., REFERENCES
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