Metallogeny and Petrogenesis of Lamprophyres in the Mid-European Variscides

Based on a worldwide database of lamprophyres, N.M.S. Rock (1991) noted that … Lamprophyres are a missing element in the traditional granites + mineralization maxim which should no longer be ignored … The Erzgebirge or Ore Mountains province is a key locality in the European Variscides to observe the important relationships between granites, lamprophyres, and a spectacular array of spatially overlapping mineralization types. Lamprophyre dikes and associated magmatic rocks were systematically mapped in the mining fields of the Erzgebirge and surrounding areas. Data are presented that unarguably demonstrate the important role played by lamprophyric rocks in the Erzgebirge ore province. Three intrusive stages of lamprophyres indicate significant mantle-associated magmatic pulses during the Permo-Carboniferous. Sn-W-Mo, Ag-base metal, and U mineralization events show a close spatial association to post-collisional lamprophyric and small granitic-rhyolitic intrusions which post-date widespread late-collisional granites. The metallogenetic importance of volatile-rich lamprophyres in the Erzgebirge is further affirmed by the overlapping temporal relationship between lamprophyres and post-collisional granitic-rhyolitic intrusions, as determined by modern radiometric dating and age data of lithostratigraphic unites of the Sub-Erzgebirge basin. The model presented in this book is important for exploration for Sn, W, Mo, Ag, Cu, Zn, Pb, In, and U mineralization in the Bohemian Massif and comparable ore deposit provinces worldwide.