The application of the stable isotopes of sulfur and oxygen in groundwater sulfate to mineral exploration in the Broken Hill region of Australia

摘要

The oxygen and sulfur isotopic composition of sulfate dissolved in groundwater from the Broken Hill region can be used to recognize oxidation of sulfides along a flow path. This oxidation can be shown to occur either within the unsaturated zone or below the water table. This is important because it shows that hydrogeochemistry can provide a vector to blind mineralization in areas of significant regolith cover, in the Broken Hill region and, by extension, in other sulfide-rich mineral settings.