Further Sulphur Isotope Studies of the Taolin Lead-Zinc Ore Deposit

Abstract

<p> Sulphur isotope data from coexisting sulphides and sulphates from the 120m level of the Shangtancen ore body of the Taolin Pb-Zn ore deposit have been used to estimate the temperatures of sulphur mineral precipitation. The data indicate that sulphide was the dominant species in solution at both high and low temperatures. The data also show that the 𝛿34S value of total sulphur in solution was close to zero at high temperatures, but had low negative values (about -6.7‰) at low temperatures. This is interpreted in terms of the effects of mineral precipitation on the isotopic 34 composition of the solution. The decrease of the 𝛿34S value of the total sulphur with decreasing temperature was brought about because the removal from the system, by precipitation, of isotopically heavy sulphate exceeded the removal from the system, by precipitation, of isotopically light sulphide.</p>