Chemical and sulphur isotope compositions of pyrite in the Jaduguda U (-Cu-Fe) deposit, Singhbhum shear zone, eastern India: Implications for sulphide mineralization

The Jaduguda U (-Cu-Fe) deposit in the Singhbhum shear zone has been the most productive uranium deposit in India. Pyrite occurs as disseminated grains or in sulphide stringers and veins in the ore zone. Veins, both concordant and discordant to the pervasive foliation, are mineralogically either simple comprising pyrite +/- chalcopyrite or complex comprising pyrite + chalcopyrite + pentlandite + millerite. Nickel-sulphide minerals, though fairly common in concordant veins, are very rare in the discordant veins. Pyrite in Ni-sulphide association is commonly replaced by pentlandite at the grain boundary or along micro-cracks. Based on concentrations of Co and Ni, pyrite is classified as: type-A - high Co (up to 30800 ppm), no/low Ni; type-B - moderate Co (up to 16500 ppm) and moderate to high Ni (up to 32700 ppm); type-C - no/low Co and high Ni (up to 43000 ppm); type-D - neither Co nor Ni. Textural and compositional data of pyrites suggest that the hydrothermal fluid responsible for pre-/early-shearing mineralization evolved from Co-rich to Ni-rich and the late-/post-shearing fluid was largely depleted in minor elements. Sulphur isotope compositions of pyrite mostly furnish positive values ranging between -0.33 and 12.06 parts per thousand. Composite samples of pyrites with only type-A compositions and mixed samples of type-A and type-B are consistently positive. However, pyrite with mixed type-A and type-C and pyrite with type-D compositions have negative values but close to 0 parts per thousand. By integrating minor element and sulphur isotope compositions of pyrite in conjunction with other published data on the Jaduguda deposit, it is proposed that reduced sulphur for the precipitation of most pyrites (type-A, type-B) was likely derived from isotopically heavy modified seawater. However, some later sulphur might be magmatic in origin remobilized from existing sulphides in the mafic volcanic rocks in the shear zone.