Gays River
Nova Scotia, between the Shubenacadie and Musquodoboit basins, Canada
Mississippi Valley TypeZn-Pb
- Type
- Carbonate-hosted Zn-Pb (MVT type, Irish affinities debated)
Largest carbonate-hosted Zn-Pb deposit of the Mississippian Windsor Group of Atlantic Canada: disseminated stratiform ore and massive veins of sphalerite and galena in a dolomitised carbonate bank resting on Meguma Group basement, beneath evaporites. Sphalerite fluid inclusions homogenise at about 215 °C, brine of about 20 wt.% NaCl eq. Ore sulfide sulfur is uniform (+8.0 to +13.7 ‰), sulfates carry a Mississippian seawater signature, late biogenic sulfides are very light; lead is unradiogenic, probably derived from the Meguma basement.
δ34S in ‰ (per mil) Values of the same system
Standard : V-CDT
| Value | Range | n | Mineral or matrix | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13.99 ± 2.5 ‰ | 9.6 / 15.6 ‰ | 5 | anhydrite (pre-ore evaporites) Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 5 samples, Table 1. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
| 14.62 ± 1.5 ‰ | 13.1 / 16.5 ‰ | 5 | gypsum and selenite (late hydration of anhydrite) Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 5 samples, Table 1. The text gives 13.1 to 16.1 ‰ (mean 14.62); the table goes up to 16.5 ‰. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
| 14.1 ‰ | 14.1 / 14.1 ‰ | 2 | late fracture barite Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 2 samples, Table 1. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
| 11.72 ± 1.36 ‰ | 10.7 / 13.27 ‰ | 3 | early stratiform marcasite (pre-ore) Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 3 samples, Table 1. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
| 10.31 ± 0.91 ‰ | 8 / 11.4 ‰ | 11 | vein sphalerite Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 11 samples, Table 1. Sphalerite-galena pairs in disequilibrium (apparent temperatures of about 650 °C). The text gives a mean of 10.92 ‰; the table values, checked on the page, give 10.31 ‰. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
| 12.02 ± 2.29 ‰ | 8.7 / 13.65 ‰ | 4 | stratiform sphalerite Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 4 samples, Table 1. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
| 10.92 ± 0.85 ‰ | 9.5 / 12.1 ‰ | 9 | coarse vein galena Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 9 samples, Table 1. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
| 10.71 ± 0.87 ‰ | 9.4 / 11.7 ‰ | 7 | fine-grained stratiform galena Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 7 samples, Table 1. The text reports eight samples, the table lists seven. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
| 10.4 ‰ | 1 | vein chalcopyrite One analysis, Table 1. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… | |
| −45.6 ± 0.34 ‰ | −46 / −45.2 ‰ | 5 | late pyrite (post-ore) Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 5 samples, Table 1. Very light sulfur attributed to bacterial sulfate reduction. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
| −22.8 ± 17.67 ‰ | −42.9 / −9.7 ‰ | 3 | late marcasite overgrowths on calcite Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 3 samples, Table 1. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
206Pb/204Pb isotope ratio, no unit Values of the same system
Standard : NIST SRM 981
| Value | Range | n | Mineral or matrix | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18.055 ± 0.011 | 18.048 / 18.063 | 2 | galena Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 2 samples, text. Lead less radiogenic than all documented carbonate-hosted deposits; model ages of 446 and 466 Ma. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
207Pb/204Pb isotope ratio, no unit Values of the same system
Standard : NIST SRM 981
| Value | Range | n | Mineral or matrix | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15.614 ± 0.011 | 15.606 / 15.622 | 2 | galena Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 2 samples, text. Lead less radiogenic than all documented carbonate-hosted deposits; model ages of 446 and 466 Ma. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
208Pb/204Pb isotope ratio, no unit Values of the same system
Standard : NIST SRM 981
| Value | Range | n | Mineral or matrix | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38.18 ± 0.013 | 38.17 / 38.189 | 2 | galena Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 2 samples, text. Lead less radiogenic than all documented carbonate-hosted deposits; model ages of 446 and 466 Ma. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
δ13C in ‰ (per mil) Values of the same system
Standard : V-PDB
| Value | Range | n | Mineral or matrix | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.21 ± 0.62 ‰ | 0.5 / 1.99 ‰ | 5 | recrystallised host dolomite (pre-ore) Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 5 samples, Table 3. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
| −1.97 ± 0.59 ‰ | −2.96 / −1.34 ‰ | 7 | dedolomitised secondary limestone Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 7 samples, Table 3. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
| 2.6 ± 0.36 ‰ | 2.22 / 3.12 ‰ | 10 | ore-stage vein calcite Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 10 samples, Table 3. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
| −1.97 ± 2.77 ‰ | −5.68 / 1.58 ‰ | 6 | late rhombohedral calcite Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 6 samples, Table 3. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
| −0.49 ± 0.29 ‰ | −0.7 / −0.29 ‰ | 2 | late scalenohedral encrusting calcite Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 2 samples, Table 3. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
| 4.31 ± 0.33 ‰ | 3.61 / 4.55 ‰ | 7 | brachiopods of the unmineralised Miller limestone (regional reference) Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 7 samples, Table 2. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
δ18O in ‰ (per mil) Values of the same system
Standard : V-SMOW
| Value | Range | n | Mineral or matrix | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23.64 ± 0.75 ‰ | 22.86 / 24.82 ‰ | 5 | recrystallised host dolomite (pre-ore) Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 5 samples, Table 3. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
| 23.42 ± 0.32 ‰ | 22.73 / 23.7 ‰ | 7 | dedolomitised secondary limestone Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 7 samples, Table 3. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
| 13.97 ± 0.19 ‰ | 13.67 / 14.24 ‰ | 10 | ore-stage vein calcite Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 10 samples, Table 3. Fluid inclusions homogenise at about 173 °C; calculated fluid at +3.3 ‰ (δ18O). | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
| 19.01 ± 2.79 ‰ | 14.28 / 22.34 ‰ | 6 | late rhombohedral calcite Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 6 samples, Table 3. The text gives a maximum δ18O of 23.34 ‰, the table 22.34 ‰. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
| 24.2 ± 0.15 ‰ | 24.1 / 24.31 ‰ | 2 | late scalenohedral encrusting calcite Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 2 samples, Table 3. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
| 25.05 ± 0.7 ‰ | 24.49 / 26.39 ‰ | 7 | brachiopods of the unmineralised Miller limestone (regional reference) Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 7 samples, Table 2. | Akande et Zentilli (1984), Geologic, fluid inclusion, and stable isotope studies of the G… |
Deposits of the same type
- Southern Appalachians MVT United States
- Central and East Tennessee MVT United States
- Upper Mississippi Valley district United States
- Black Angel (Maarmorilik) Greenland
- Northern Arkansas district United States
- Tri-State district United States
- Nanisivik Canada
- Florida Canyon Peru
Cite this page
IsoFind Atlas (2026). Gays River, isotope signatures. https://www.isofind.tech/isotopes/en/deposits/gays-river/ (accessed 2026-10-13).
@misc{isofind2026gaysriverisotopesignatures,
title = {Gays River, isotope signatures},
author = {{IsoFind Atlas}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://www.isofind.tech/isotopes/en/deposits/gays-river/},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13}
}Updated : 2026-10-13