The Thames gold-silver deposits are part of the Hauraki goldfield, situated within the Miocene to Pliocene calc-alkaline Coromandel Volcanic Zone (CVZ). The Waitangi vein system is one of the mineralised ore shoots in the Thames district. The Thames gold deposits are characterised by shallow level epithermal vein mineralisation with phyllic to advanced argillic alteration assemblages and abundant sulphide minerals including pyrite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, galena and sphalerite. Gold occurs as electrum in association with sulphide minerals. Microprobe analyses.of sphalerite grains from the Waitangi deposit mostly range from 0.8 to 1.5 mole % FeS, although one sample contains 9.5 mole % FeS.
Arsenopyrite from Waitangi yields a range from 33.1 to 34.6 atomic As (%). There is no discernible correlation between the FeS content of sphalerite and gold grade in the Waitangi deposit suggesting that gold deposition is probably not controlled by changes in temperature and activity of sulphur aS2 that control the FeS content of sphalerite. The possible causes for gold deposition are thought to be boiling, mixing and changes in pH.
Sulphur isotope analyses of mixed sphalerite-galena and sphalerite-galena-ehalcopyrite samples yield a narrow range of 34SCDT values (-1.0 to 0.9 ;n=5), whereas late spongy pyrite gives unusually light sulphur isotope values (-16.7 to -27.9 ; n=4). The sulphur isotopic values of base metal sulphides from Waitangi suggest that the sulphur was derived from a magmatic source. However, the source of light sulphur in the late pyrite grains is not known. Preliminary fluid inclusionstudies indicate homogenisation temperatures between 173 and 284C and salinities of 0.23.0 NaCI equiv. wt % (uncorrected for C02).
Vein quartz at Waitangi yields 18OSMOW values from 6.8 to 12.7 (n=23). The calculated oxygen isotopic composition of ore fluids is between -2.1 to 3.8 at 250C and -0.1-5.8 at 300C. Oxygen isotope analyses have revealed significant variations in 18O values with elevation and gold grades. Zones of gold enrichment coincide with a zone of variable oxygen isotope values at the top of the vein system, where boiling and/or fluid mixing most likely occurred. Oxygen isotope values varying with gold grades within the Waitangi conduits suggest that 18O values may be useful in targeting bonanza grade gold mineralisation in epithermal vein systems.