2014 Society of Economic Geologists, Inc.

Economic Geology, v. 109, pp. 20512065

REINTERPRETATION OF QUARTZ TEXTURES IN TERMS OF HYDROTHERMAL FLUID EVOLUTION

AT THE KORYU Au-Ag DEPOSIT, JAPAN

Toru Shimizu
AIST, Geological Survey of Japan, Institute of Geology and Geoinformation, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba 305-8567, Japan

Abstract
Spatial and temporal variations in quartz textures and the types of quartz-hosted fluid inclusions in the no. 3
vein of the Pleistocene Koryu epithermal Au-Ag deposit were studied. Bonanza-grade ore zones contain mul-
tiple generations of quartz with six distinct texturescrustiform, comb, microcrystalline, colloform, cockade,
and platy. Early-formed parts of the vein are mainly composed of comb quartz that is overgrown by later quartz
with a variety of textures, including comb, microcrystalline, and colloform; the latter two are the most common
textures of later parts of the vein. Comb, microcrystalline, and colloform textures can be traced along each min-
eral band at the scale of the ore deposit, suggesting the existence of uniform silica-supersaturated conditions
during the deposition of the band.
Interpretation of petrographic features of fluid inclusions in quartz at the same mine level reveals three types
of fluid conditionsintense boiling (flashing), gentle boiling, and nonboiling conditions. The presence of comb
quartz texture corresponds to fluid inclusion evidence for gentle boiling or nonboiling conditions. The presence
of microcrystalline and colloform quartz textures indicates intense boiling, as suggested in previous studies,
although the secondary fluid inclusions in earlier-formed quartz only correspond to fluid inclusion evidence for
intense boiling.
A fluid inclusion microthermometric study using fluid inclusion assemblages in comb quartz trapped under
both gentle boiling and nonboiling conditions shows hydrothermal temperature fluctuates mostly between 243
and 268C.
The relationship between boiling conditions and quartz textures suggests that the intensity of boiling of silica-
supersaturated hydrothermal fluid fluctuates at a given depth over time. The close association between precious
metal content and microcrystalline and colloform quartz supports the idea that the metals precipitated due to
intense boiling.
Intense boiling at the base of the boiling zone likely was the main mechanism for bonanza precious metal
precipitation, whereas physical transportation of the metals by gently boiling fluids was only a minor mechanism
for local precipitation of precious metals at Koryu.
On the basis of the observations of this study and previous paleodepth data, quartz textures are overprinted;
a deep assemblage of the early comb quartz, formed at >500-m depth below the paleowater table, was over-
printed by a late microcrystalline and colloform quartz assemblage formed at <500-m depth. Such textural
variations may be attributed to a decrease in the depth of the water table caused by nearby volcanic eruptions.

Introduction of quartz textures, including those that favor gold mineral-

Quartz generally is a dominant gangue mineral deposited
throughout epithermal vein formation and reflects a variety of
hydrothermal fluid conditions. Because of these relationships,
quartz textures have been investigated by many researchers
to understand the evolution of hydrothermal systems (e.g.,
Saunders, 1994; Bobis et al., 1995; Dong and Zhou, 1996;
Shimizu et al., 1998; Moncada et al., 2012). Vein textures in
these studies were examined at various scales, from micro-
scopic (individual electrum grains) to mesoscopic (hand
specimens), because analysis over such a size range is neces-
sary to thoroughly understand the information contained in
the rock (Craig, 2001). Such studies provide an indication of
textural changes in a single sample, as well as textural differ-
ences between samples in different locations, on the scale of
centimeters to hundreds of meters.
A common trend detected in hand specimens of quartz
is that its texture varies from typically coarsely crystalline at
depth to fine grained and microcrystalline at shallow levels
of epithermal vein systems (Dowling and Morrison, 1989;
Hedenquist et al., 2000; Simmons et al., 2005; Christie et
al., 2007). Such characteristics illustrate the spatial diversity
Corresponding author: e-mail, t.shimizu@aist.go.jp
0361-0128/14/4261/2051-15 2051
ization, at depths up to 1,500 m. However, few studies (e.g.,
Strujkov et al., 1996; Chauvet et al., 2006) have evaluated
temporal changes in textures to understand the processes of
formation and fluid conditions in multiple-layered veins at a
given depth.
This study reexamines the spatial and temporal variations in
quartz textures (Shimizu et al., 1998) apparent in hand speci-
mens of ore samples in the no. 3 vein at Koryu, an epither-
mal Au-Ag deposit in Hokkaido, Japan. In order to interpret
the textural characteristics fully, fluid inclusion petrography is
used to identify evidence for boiling. The goal of this study is
to propose a textural nomenclature of vein quartz that can be
applied to epithermal ores elsewhere. The author acknowl-
edges the work by Moncada et al. (2012) on using mineral
textures and fluid inclusion petrography to explore epither-
mal gold at Guanajuato, Mexico, was a model for this study.
Their study emphasized the genetic interpretation of spa-
tial variation of quartz textures, as related to precious metal
precipitation, and fluid inclusion characteristics (i.e., boil-
ing or nonboiling conditions). In contrast, the present study
focuses on the interpretation of how quartz textures changed
at a given depth as the hydrothermal system evolved into a
bonanza epithermal system.
Submitted: April 17, 2013
Accepted: February 11, 2014
2052 SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS

Outline of Geology, Ore Deposits, and Mineralogy a A

The Koryu epithermal Au-Ag deposit is located at the Kanayama str
eam
N
northern end of the northeast Japan arc (Fig. 1a) in a steep,
mountainous region (Fig. 1b). The main lithologic units
around Koryu, in decreasing age, are early to middle Miocene 5
and Quaternary units (Watanabe, 2000; Fig. 1b). Both units 1
Kogane 8 To pporo
are mainly composed of intermediate volcanic rocks and sedi- stream
2 Sa
mentary rocks. The deposit is hosted by Neogene sedimen- eam
tary rocks. o str
3 k i-n
The Koryu deposit was discovered in 1899. Total ore produc- 6 Fu
tion between 1903 and 1957 was approximately 50,000tonnes 4
at an average grade of 15.1 g/t of Au (Nodatamagawa Mining A To Lake
Development, Inc., 1995). From 1988 to 2006, the deposit Izari 7 Shikotsu
produced about 3,000 tonnes of ore per year at an average river 0 500 m
grade of 40 g/t of Au (Nodatamagawa Mining Development,
Inc., 1995; Shimizu et al., 1998). Although the total Au pro- b
duction was not published, an estimated ~3 tonnes Au was SW Schematic cross section NE
produced before the mine closed, based on a calculation
using the data of total productions and average Au grades A A
aforementioned. No. 3 vein
(m) mine (m) above
There were eight major veins at Koryu, of which nos. 1, 2, No. 2 vein No. 1 vein sea level
level
and 3 were the most productive (Fig. 2a). The veins strike 150 600
approximately E-W, dip steeply, and were mined over an area 90
of ~1 km (E-W) 0.5 km (N-S) and to depths of 180 m (Fig. 510
30
-30 420
a Period Epoch Lithology
Volcanic clasts and 200 m
Pleisto- pyroclastic rocks
Quaternary

140E cene to Intermediate Fig. 2. Vein distribution map, Koryu. (a) Horizontal distribution. Large,
44N 1.2 (2) Holocene volcanic rocks thin dotted line indicates area of the earlier episode of mineralization; large,
Koryu Hokkaido Pleisto- Intermediate
thick dotted line indicates area of the later episode of mineralization. Short
2.6 (1) cene volcanic rocks
l a rc dotted lines indicate mine tunnel. (b) Vertical section of the most productive
u ri Sedimentary
K rocks veins (nos. 1, 2, and 3). Data compiled from Shimizu and Matsueda (1993),
Neogene

Pacific Miocene Intermediate Shimizu et al. (1998), and this study.

Northeast
Japan arc

volcanic rocks
Ocean Sedimentary
23.0 (1) rocks
100km Subduction Au-Ag Road
2a, b). Underground excavation was conducted at eight mine
zone deposit levels of 30, 0, 20, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 m (420600 m
b Sp
N elevation), followed by sublevel drill access between each
12
00
400 level (Fig. 2b). Vein adularia was dated radiometrically by the
K-Ar method at 1.4 to 0.85 Ma (Shimizu and Matsueda, 1993;
1000 Shimizu, 2011).
On the basis of crosscutting relationships in the vein, miner-
alization was divided into two episodes: earlier and later. The
1000

Sr earlier episode was further divided into three stages, E-I to

E-III, and the later episode was divided into nine stages, L-I
500 to L-IX (Shimizu et al., 1998; Sato et al., 2004). The miner-
alization in veins 1 and 2 formed during both the earlier and
700 600 later episodes, whereas that in vein 3 formed only during the
later episode (Fig. 2a, b). Quartz and, in lesser abundance,
800 adularia, calcite, johannsenite, and electrum, formed in the
900
1100 Koryu earlier episode. Quartz with large amounts of interstratified
1000
1200 smectite/chlorite, electrum, and silver sulfides, such as agu-
ilarite, polybasite, pearceite, pyrargyrite, proustite, hessite,
2 km tetrahedrite, mckinstryite, and jalpaite, formed in the later
episode. Early generations of the later episode, stages L-I and
Fig. 1. Geology near the Koryu epithermal Au-Ag deposit modified from L-II, are characterized by an enrichment of base metals. The
Watanabe (2000). (a) Location of Koryu. (b) Geologic map of area near stage L-I and L-II bands are clearly cut by the stage L-III
Koryu. Numbers in italics are elevations in meters above sea level. Abbrevia-
tions: Sp = Mt. Sapporodake, Sr = Mt. Soranumadake. Chronological num-
band, which represents a volumetrically and economically
bers (Ma) in the legend: 1. International Commission on Stratigraphy (2012). significant stage of precious metal mineralization. The L-III
2. Watanabe (1990). stage is characterized by the dominance of smectite/chlorite
 SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS 2053

and Au-Ag ore minerals with only minor quartz; however,
these characteristics are not present in substage L-III-i when
quartz dominated mineral deposition. Stage L-III was fol-
lowed by repetitive Au-Ag deposition in stages L-IV and L-V.
Samples
Detailed examination of the textural features of the no. 3
vein revealed two ore shoots, bonanza 1 and 2, at the 30-m
mine level (Fig. 3; Shimizu et al., 1998). Seventeen samples
were collected from 13 underground locations in and around
the bonanza zones in the no. 3 vein for detailed hand specimen
study (locations D-Q, Fig. 3). These samples were obtained
from widely scattered locations within the accessible ore zones
of the no. 3 vein over a distance of 130 m horizontally and
90 m vertically. The samples were collected from a banded
vein with a thickness between 35 cm and 2 m that contains
To No.2
vein
No.3 vein
20mL 0mL
30mL
A similar vein stratigraphy, including stage L-III and L-VI bands
90mL
60mL
120mL
150mL
Inclined
shaft
100m
multiple mineralization bands between stages L-I and L-VIII.
This study mainly focuses on samples showing stages L-I and
L-II and substage L-III-i to stage L-VII, because the bands in
these stages and substages show a variety of quartz textures at
the hand specimen scale. Most of the samples were cut per-
pendicular to the vein to produce a slab that extended across
the vein from the wall toward the center of the vein.
Trace of Mineralizing Bands
In the two bonanza zones, the multiple layers of the vein
were mapped in detail (Fig. 4a), and the mineralization stages
were differentiated by colors. Six representative samples
D-1, E-1, F-1, G-1 (Fig. 4b), D-2, and D-3 (Fig. 5)were
collected from the two bonanza zones that contained multiple
stages of vein deposition. Samples D-1, D-2, and D-3 are type
locality samples that were studied in detail by Shimizu and
Matsueda (1993) and Shimizu et al. (1998). The bands with
five mineralization stagesL-III, IV, V, VI, and VIIoccur
among samples D-1, E-1, F-1, and G-1 (Fig. 4b) and verti-
cally among samples H-1, I-1, J-1, K-1, L-1, M-1, and N-1
(Fig. 6); the band with stage L-VIII is only present in sample
G-1. Although some local discontinuity appears in the miner-
alogical bands, most of the samples in Figures 4b and 6 have
and, in particular, substage L-III-i and L-VI-c bands, as dis-
tinct key marker horizons. However, detailed correlation of
the substages in stage L-III is precluded by local variations of
vein features, such as brecciation, discontinuity of mineralogi-
cal bands, and mineral assemblage; an exception is substage
L-III-i, which is present in multiple samples. In the lower lev-
els, between 20-m and 30-m mine levels, the mineralization
stages L-III to L-IX were traced (Sato et al., 2004).

Quartz Texture
Classification of quartz textures
Present surface
A Shimizu et al. (1998) defined structure and texture for
features observed in hand specimens and microscopically,
Mine meter Elevation respectively, to document morphological variations of vein
level (mL) (meters) quartz at Koryu. Five structures were identified: comb, fine
grained, colloform, cockade, and platy. In this study, texture
150 600 is used for hand specimens since this term is used to describe
ore and gangue minerals at both scales (e.g., Dowling and
120 570
N Morrison, 1989; Barton, 1991; Bobis, 1994; Dong et al., 1995;
Craig, 2001; Chauvet et al., 2006; Christie et al., 2007). This
90 540
M study uses textural terminology for grain size and crystal form
t 510 of Rogers (1917), Adams (1920), Morgan (1925), Lindgren
60 haf K
neds L (1933), and Neuendorf et al. (2005), with some modifications.
Incli 1 2
Six texturescrustiform, comb, microcrystalline, colloform,
30 480
E OPDQ cockade, and platyare distinguished from field reconnais-
FG H I J 450 sance and hand specimen observation at Koryu. Morphologi-
0
50m cal characteristics of these textures and genetic interpretations
Stope Bonanza are summarized in this section with the aid of thin section
zone observation.
Fig. 3. Plan map of no. 3 vein (above) and vertical cross section (below) of
Koryu. Strike, dip, length, and width of the no. 3 vein are N80E to N80W, Crustiform
70 to 88N, 450 m, and 0.2 to 2.0 m, respectively. Small dotted lines in the Crustiform texture, defined as a primary depositional tex-
vertical section enclose a high-grade Au-Ag zone. Numbers in squares in the
vertical section correspond to those of the bonanza zones. Crosses in the ver-
ture, involves successive, narrow (commonly up to a few
tical section indicate sampling locations (D-Q); D, E, and F correspond to centimeters), subparallel layers of crusts of minerals (e.g.,
locations reported by Shimizu et al. (1998). bluish-gray colloform quartz with some Au-Ag minerals in
2054 SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS

a 0m 20
Au-Ag vein at 30 m mine level, No. 3 vein
40
80
100 120 m
Un- 60
Mineralization stages identi-
L-
I
fied Host
II III IV V VI VII VIII stages rocks
Bonanza 1 Bonanza 2

2m Loc. Q
D-2 in Fig. 6 Loc. D Loc. F
Loc. E

Loc. O Loc. P Loc. G

b Comb
Microcrystalline G-1
E-1 Ginguro Colloform
Foot wall side
L-VIII
Clay
D-1
F-1
?
? &
& Druse
Py
& 7a ?
?
c
9a c
c
Ginguro
Druse
c b
7c a Ginguro
a b c
b b
a
c a
a
b c j
c
a
b 7b i
a i
c
i
b ?
h
? g
Ginguro
f
Hanging wall side ?
Ginguro Ginguro
5cm
5cm 5cm
5cm

Fig. 4. Map of the no. 3 vein on the 30-m mine level and hand specimens of the no. 3 vein. (a) Vein map of bonanzas
1 and 2 showing trace of mineralization bands with different stages distinguished by color, as determined by Shimizu and
Matsueda (1993) and Shimizu et al. (1998). The bonanza zones are lens shaped, 2 m in width, and approximately 25 m in
length. The mineralization band of stage VIII (Sato et al., 2004) is not depicted on the vein map. Sampling locations D, E,
and F refer to those of Shimizu et al. (1998); G, O, P, and Q refer to those of this study. (b) Ore samples with mineralization
stages and substages and traces of representative quartz textures including comb, microcrystalline, and colloform. Samples
E-1, D-1, F-1, and G-1 were obtained from locations D, E, F, and G, respectively, at the bonanzas shown in (a). The color in
each stage or substage corresponds to that in (a). Outlined areas7a, 7b, 7c, and 9acorrespond to those in Figures 7a, 7b,
7c, and 9a, respectively. The band in substages L-III-j and L-VI-b is not shown because it was too thin (<2 mm) for tracing
among the samples on the reduced scale. Dotted lines on the sample indicate some apparent crosscutting boundaries among
different mineralization stages. Some bands are locally missing. The stage L-VII band is missing in sample E-1, and the stage
L-VIII band (Sato et al., 2004) is missing in samples E-1, D-1, and F-1. Question marks indicate that the stage or substage is
not confirmed. In sample F-1, quartz of an unknown stage penetrated previous stage bands and enveloped substage L-VI-c
with a substage L-V-b? fragment. All samples show crustiform banding that consists of comb, microcrystalline, and colloform
textures with variable ratios. Original sample names: D-1 = Sm-900404A-1, E-1 = 900321-E, F-1 = Sm-900801-8, G-1 =
Sm-9000817-3. Abbreviation: py = pyrite aggregate.

substage L-V-b deposited successively on white microcrystal- Comb

line quartz in substage L-V-a in Fig. 7c). This texture is com-
monly symmetric relative to the footwall and hanging wall
of the vein. The crustiform texture in quartz is composed of
sequentially banded quartz with a variety of textures including
comb, microcrystalline, colloform, cockade, and platy.
Comb texture is a primary depositional texture and refers
to groups of parallel or subparallel euhedral quartz crystals
elongated perpendicular to vein walls and projecting into free
space. Quartz crystals commonly show geometrical selection
to compete for space (Grigorev, 1965, Fig. 7a), resulting in
 SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS 2055
D-2
1cm
f
e
d
Ginguro
c &c
b Colloform texture is characterized by mineral aggregates
d & d Platy
quartz
c D-3 Ginguro
b cates a high degree of silica supersaturation resulting in rapid
a
Host
rock
b and occurs early in the formation of veins (Fig. 7d).
c Platy texture is a texture of quartz aggregates arranged in a
1cm
Fig. 5. Hand specimens from the 30-m mine level, no. 3 vein. Sample D-2
was collected from location D (Fig. 4a). D-3 is a float sample from location D
(Fig. 4a). Colors and representative textures used to differentiate stages and
substages are the same as those in Figure 4; triangles, squares, and circles
represent comb, microcrystalline, and colloform textures, respectively. The
mineralization band of substage L-III-a is not shown in D-3. The substage
L-III-e band consists only of adularia. Original sample names: D-2 = Sm-
900404A-2, D-3 = Sm-900817-20.
the growth of crystals adjacent to each other in which the
direction of maximum rate of growth is perpendicular to the
growth surface. The texture is typically formed from fluid
slightly supersaturated with quartz, indicating slowly chang-
ing or very mildly fluctuating conditions of the physical and
chemical nature of the solution (e.g., temperature, pressure,
and pH) during crystal growth (Fournier, 1985).
Microcrystalline
Microcrystalline texture in quartz shows a homogeneous,
vitreous, and tightly packed appearance in hand specimen,
and refers to aggregates or layers of anhedral quartz crystals,
which can be observed only with a microscope. Thick bands
of microcrystalline quartz on polished surfaces show irregular
swirling or fine banding defined by color changes (Fig. 7b).
Microcrystalline quartz is closely associated with disseminated
Au-Ag minerals (Fig. 7b). Because it shows a ghost-sphere
texture under microscope (Shimizu et al., 1998), this texture
could have been formed by crystallization of amorphous silica
or chalcedony (Dong et al., 1995), phases that indicate a high
degree of silica supersaturation resulting in rapid nucleation
and precipitation (Fournier, 1985).
Colloform
that show combined spherical, botryoidal, reniform, or mam-
millary forms that represent primary growth textures and that
are closely associated with Au-Ag minerals. Figure 7c shows
colloform quartz cut parallel to growth direction. The fibrous
texture observed under a microscope (Shimizu et al., 1998)
is interpreted to be the result of transformation from chal-
cedony with rounded external surfaces that originate from
silica gel deposition (e.g., Dong et al., 1995). This texture indi-
nucleation and precipitation (Fournier, 1985).
Cockade
The development of concentric bands of quartz with growth
away from fragments of host rock describes cockade texture.
Such texture, which is defined as a primary growth texture,
can be seen in samples D-3 in Figure 5 and N-1 in Figure 6
Platy
platy or bladed form and is similar to parallel-bladed quartz
(Fig. 7e; Dong et al., 1995). Platy quartz also shows pseudo-
acicular texture under a microscope (fig. 11i in Shimizu et al.,
1998). The morphological similarity between the quartz and
platy calcite suggests that platy texture is a replacement tex-
ture produced when calcite is replaced by quartz (Lindgren,
1933).
Temporal and spatial variations in quartz textures
Quartz textures associated with rhythmic symmetrical and
asymmetrical banding at bonanza locations 1 and 2 are tab-
ulated in Figure 8. Comb, microcrystalline, and colloform
textural components are the most common in the crustiform-
banded vein. The association of electrum with microcrystal-
line or colloform textures is a characteristic of all precious
metal-bearing ore stages.
The spatial distribution of crustiform banded ores with dis-
tinct comb, microcrystalline, and colloform textures, mainly
between stages L-III and L-VII, is shown in Figures 4b and 6.
Crustiform banding occurs at the 30-m mine level (Fig. 4b),
whereas, as shown in samples M-1 and N-1 in Figure 6, such
banding is less developed in the upper mine levels. The stage
L-IV band is missing from samples K-1, L-1, M-1, and N-1;
the latter three samples also lack the stage L-V band. More-
over, samples are also more brecciated in the areas where the
vein splits into multiple thin veinlets in the footwall (Shimizu
et al., 1998). The present study shows that crustiform band-
ing occurs in the lower parts, down to the 20-m mine level, as
shown in samples H-1, I-1, and J-1 in Figure 6. Each quartz
generation in either stage or substage in the crustiform ores
2056 SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS

N-1
M-1 90 m + 19.6 m
60 m + 19 m c mine sublevel
mine
sublevel c
a

Host rock
fragment
? and/or ? Host rock
?
fragment
? and/or
Ginguro L-1
K-1 30 m + 8.8 m
30 m + 8 m mine
mine sublevel sublevel

a
b
i

and
H-1
20 m mine
level J-1 20 m mine level
I-1 20 m mine level
?

? Ginguro
c c ?

b
b
a
c c
b
b a
a
i
i
i

? Ginguro

Fig. 6. Hand specimens from the 20-m mine level and upper levels between 38- and 110-m mine sublevels, no. 3 vein.
Samples H-1, I-1, J-1, K-1, L-1, M-1, and N-1 were collected from locations H, I, J, K, L, M, and N in Figure 3, respectively.
Colors and representative textures used to differentiate stages and substages are the same as those in Figure 4; triangles,
squares, and circles represent comb, microcrystalline, and colloform textures, respectively. The scale bar in each sample is
3 cm. Dotted lines indicate some apparent crosscutting boundaries between different mineralization stages. Some bands
are missing among the samples. Stage L-IV and L-V bands are not apparent in samples L-1, M-1, and N-1. Question marks
indicate that the stage is not confirmed. Original sample names: H-1 = Sm-940802-7, I-1 = Sm-940802-6, J-1 = Sm-920723-2,
K-1 = 901201, L-1 = Sm-911019-6, M-1 = 0611-1, N-1 = 0526-2.

mainly consists of a single textural variety with some local
variations.
Comb quartz is ubiquitous in all ore samples (Figs. 46)
and is dominant in the early parts of the vein (Fig. 8, stages
L-I and L-II). Growth of comb quartz tends to form vugs in
the centers of the veins, as shown in the E-1 sample (Fig. 4b).
Comb quartz in substage L-VI-c is abundant between the 20-
and 110-m mine sublevels (Figs. 4b, 6). Comb quartz gener-
ally is devoid of ore minerals, except locally in substage L-VI-c
in Figure 9a.
Microcrystalline quartz and colloform quartz are gener-
ally restricted to samples containing precious metals and are
dominant in the later parts of the vein (Fig. 8, stages L-IIIL-
VIII). In the substage L-IV-c band of a single hand specimen
(Fig. 9b), microcrystalline quartz containing precious metals
(electrum, jalpaite, and mckinstryite) is locally present on the
lee side of protrusions of comb quartz (Fig. 9e, f). Colloform
quartz in substage L-V-b is characterized by the presence
of an Au-Agrich black band (ginguro, silver black) in the
two bonanza zones, as shown in samples E-1, D-1, F-1, and
G-1 (Fig. 4b). However, the colloform quartz in the same
sequence at other levels is barren or Au-Ag poor (H-1, I-1,
and K-1 samples in Fig. 6), except for local Au-Ag concentra-
tions (J-1 sample in Fig. 6). Platy quartz is observed only in
substage L-I-d in bonanza 1.
Cockade texture quartz is common in the early stages
(L-I and L-II). Comb quartz envelopes unsorted, subangu-
lar to angular fragments of host rocks in the marginal part of
 SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS 2057

a &
b Disseminated
Au-Ag minerals
b
c
a
j a

c
i Au-Ag
b minerals

5mm
1cm 5mm a
h

d Fragment of Au-Ag
minerals( b ?)
c e
b
Quartz fragment ( b )

Fragment of
Au-Ag
minerals
( b ?) b

5mm 2mm

Fig. 7. Representative quartz textures at the no. 3 vein. Colors and representative textures used to differentiate stages and
substages are the same as those in Figure 4; triangles, squares, and circles represent comb, microcrystalline, and colloform
textures, respectively. (a) Comb texture, substage L-VI-c; enlarged view of outlined area 7a in sample D-1 shown in Figure
4b. A large number of euhedral crystals are shown to grow until they meet. (b) Microcrystalline texture, substage L-III-i;
enlarged view of outlined area 7b in sample D-1, shown in Figure 4b. Disseminated ore minerals were precipitated locally.
(c) Colloform texture, substage L-V-b; enlarged view of outlined area 7c in sample D-1, shown in Figure 4b. The colloform
quartz is initially associated with Au-Ag minerals. (d) Cockade texture; area surrounded by dotted lines, substage L-VI-a, col-
lected from location O, shown in Figure 4a. The fragment of vein material in substage L-V-b is enveloped by vein material of
substage L-VI-a. (e) Platy texture, substage L-I-d, collected from location P, shown in Figure 4a. The sample contains groups
of platy quartz that are parallel within a group and show local radial elongation. Adjacent groups have distinct orientations of
platy quartz. Original sample names: a, b, and c = Sm-900404A-1, d = 900321-2-1, e = 921001.

vein (D-3 sample; Fig. 5b). This texture occurs widely in the
bonanza zones and in other parts of the vein (Shimizu et al.,
1998). In contrast, cockade texture in the later stages (L-III
and L-VIII) is less common, and occurs locally in bands of
substages L-IV-a, L-V-a, and L-VI-a. Fragments consist of
earlier vein material, such as quartz and precious metal min-
erals, with scarce host rock clasts (Fig. 7d).
Fluid Inclusions
Fluid inclusion petrography conducted by Shimizu et al.
(1998) distinguished between primary, secondary, and pseu-
dosecondary inclusions using criteria of Roedder (1984). In
this study, fluid inclusions were reexamined and reclassified
into fluid inclusion assemblages (FIAs) that describe groups
of fluid inclusions that were trapped at about the same time
(Goldstein and Reynolds, 1994; Bodnar, 2003). The present
study assembled petrographic information to identify fluid
inclusion assemblages trapped from boiling and nonboiling
fluids (Figs. 10, 11, Table 1).
Two criteria consistent with phase separation were observed
in fluid inclusions in the comb quartz. In case 1, the FIA con-
sisted of coexisting liquid- and vapor-rich primary inclusions
with a broad range of liquid and vapor ratios (Fig. 10a). In
case 2, the FIA contained all vapor-rich secondary inclusions
hosted by healed microfractures (Fig. 10b). Case 1 appears
in substages L-I-a and L-IV-c, and case 2 is observed in sub-
stages L-I-a and L-I-c (Table 1).
Fluid inclusion assemblages that consist only of liquid-rich
inclusions with consistent liquid to vapor ratios are indicative
of nonboiling conditions (Fig. 10c). Such fluid inclusions are
visible in the comb quartz in substage L-VI-c between the
30-m mine level and the 110-m mine sublevel.
In this study, homogenization temperature (Th) and salin-
ity data based on freezing experiments on primary liquid-rich
fluid inclusions in comb quartz for stages L-I to L-VII, exclud-
ing stage L-V (Shimizu et al., 1998), are reinterpreted with
respect to FIAs. Table 1 lists individual FIAs with at least two
homogenization temperatures or salinity data, and these are
2058 SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS

Stages L-I L-II L-III L-IV L-V L-VI L-VII L-VIII

Substages a b c d a b c d e f g h i j a b c a b a b c
Quartz color T T W W~YW T T W W T T W T W W W T W BG W BG Br W W
Quartz grain size f~m f f~m f f~m f f f f f f f f f f f~m f f f f f~c f~m f
Comb
Quartz textures

Microcrystalline
Colloform
Cockade
Platy
Adularia
Au-Ag minerals
Inferred i i i i i i i i i i i i i i
boiling
1.2 1.19 0.85
K-Ar ages of 0.7 0.09 0.13
adularia (Ma)
1.19 0.07, 1.10 0.12

Fig. 8. Summary of quartz textures, precipitation sequence of adularia and Au-Ag minerals, fluid inclusion characteristics,
and K-Ar ages of adularia of a crustiform band in a hand specimen from bonanzas 1 and 2, at the 30-m mine level, in no. 3 vein,
as modified after Shimizu and Matsueda (1993), Shimizu et al. (1998), and Shimizu (2011). Substages L-IV-a, b, c, and d (Shi-
mizu et al., 1998) were reclassified as substages L-III-j and L-IV-a, b, and c, respectively, in this study after reexamination of
the crosscutting relationships in the samples. The substage differentiation in stage L-III is based on examination of the sample
from location D in Figure 4a. Ginguro is a common feature seen in all substages (or stages) of Au-Ag mineral deposition.
Besides ginguro, Au-Ag minerals also are locally disseminated. Au-Ag minerals are mainly composed of electrum, polybasite,
pearceite, pyrargyrite, and proustite with lesser amounts of tetrahedrite, mckinstryite, and jalpaite. See Shimizu et al. (1998)
for more details. Inferred boiling in the lower left column is boiling indicated by the presence of adularia and some charac-
teristic textures of quartz (colloform, microcrystalline, and platy) in stages and substages, besides evidence from fluid inclusion
studies (Fig. 10, Table 1). The letter i refers to intense boiling indicated by the presence of colloform and microcrystalline
quartz (see text). The uncertainty (1) in the K-Ar age determination is shown, and was documented in detail in Shimizu
(2011). Quartz color: BG = bluish gray, Br = brown, T = transparent, W = white, YW = yellowish white. Quartz grain size: c =
coarse (>5 mm), m = medium (15 mm), f = fine (<1 mm). = Microcrystalline quartz showing comb and feathery textures
under a microscope (Shimizu et al., 1998); = local distribution; = the K-Ar ages from unidentified substages in stage L-III.

used to determine the thermal conditions for entrapment. Discussion

Table 1 also lists some FIAs with evidence of boiling (cases 1
or 2 above) but with only one or no microthermometric data.
Individual FIAs with variable sizes and shapes from stages
L-I to L-VI have Th and salinity that range between 196 and
291C and between 1.1 and 3.1 wt % NaCl equiv, respectively,
and show evidence of the two types of boiling above (Table 1).
Th of individual FIAs is also shown on frequency histograms
in Figure 11.
Variation of boiling conditions and fluid temperatures
and salinities
Shimizu et al. (1998) related quartz morphology to fluid
inclusions at Koryu. Boiling of fluids occurred repeatedly,
leading to silica supersaturation, which resulted in the for-
mation of banded veins with variable quartz textures. Inter-
mittent boiling caused repeated sequential precipitation of

Fig. 9. Precious metal minerals and associated local variation of quartz textures in bonanza ores at the no. 3 vein. Colors
and representative textures used to differentiate stages and substages are the same as those in Figure 4; triangles, squares, and
circles represent comb, microcrystalline, and colloform textures, respectively. (a) Enlarged view of outlined area 9a in sample
F-1, shown in Figure 4b. Chalcopyrite and Au-Ag minerals precipitated during comb quartz formation in substage L-VI-c.
Dotted lines indicate boundaries between different stages. A veinlet (substage L-VI-c) crosscuts the colloform band (substage
L-V-b) enriched in chalcopyrite and Au-Ag minerals. The presence of chalcopyrite and Au-Ag minerals in the veinlet as well
as in the comb quartz band in substage L-VI-c suggests that some chalcopyrite and precious metal minerals may have been
dissolved and remobilized from the ginguro (substage L-V-b) and reprecipitated during the quartz formation in substage
L-VI-c. (b) Precipitation of Au-Ag minerals and amorphous silica, which was later converted to microcrystalline quartz, on
the lee side of comb quartz protrusions in the substage L-IV-c band. This formation implies a laminar fluid flow direction of
left to right during the precipitation of amorphous silica and precious metal sulfides. The subsequent precipitation of Au-Ag
minerals and amorphous silica in substage L-V-b also occurred on the lee side. Dotted lines indicate the area of minerals in
substage L-IV-c corresponding to the sketch in Figure 9c. The sample was collected from location Q, shown in Figure 4a. (c)
Explanatory sketch of precipitation of Au-Ag minerals and amorphous silica (substage L-IV-c) in the area enclosed by dotted
lines in Figure 9b. A turbulent fluid flow formed on the lee side of the protrusions during precipitation of amorphous silica
and precious metals. (d) Ore minerals and microcrystalline quartz on the lee side of comb quartz (under transmitted, cross-
polarized light). Area e corresponds to (e). (e) Magnified image of area e in (d) under reflected light. Area f corresponds
to (f). (f) Magnified image of the area f in (e) under reflected light. Abbreviations: cpy = chalcopyrite, el = electrum, jal =
jalpaite, mck = mckinstryite, qz = quartz, sp = sphalerite.
 SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS 2059

a Cpy & Au-Ag

minerals
Cpy & Au-Ag
minerals
d Microcrystalline qz
e
c

Ore minerals

200m Comb qz
Cpy layer
e
c Veinlet Cpy & Au-Ag
(substage minerals
L-VI-c)
1cm
f
b b

a
Au-Ag minerals
with micro- cpy
crystalline qz
c

sp sp
100m
b

Comb qz
protrusions f
cpy
1cm

c
mck
el

jal
Comb qz
protrusions
20m

1cm
Interpreted fluid flow Amorphous Comb qz
direction silica with formed in
Legend

Laminar Au-Ag gentle

flow minerals boiling
Turbulent condition
flow
2060 SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS

a b c

30m 50m 50m

Fig. 10. Fluid inclusion types in comb quartz from Koryu. (a) A fluid inclusion assemblage (FIA) represented by fluid
inclusions that are distributed randomly within a core of quartz crystal, consisting of coexisting liquid- and vapor-rich inclu-
sions that are indicative of gentle boiling. The inclusions exhibit an oval to subrectangular plan shape (substage L-I-a, fig. 15b
in Shimizu et al., 1998). (b) FIA along a single healed fracture of quartz consisting entirely of vapor-rich inclusions, which
are indicative of intense boiling. The inclusions also exhibit an oval to subrectangular plan shape (substage L-I-a, fig. 15j in
Shimizu et al., 1998). (c) FIAs along growth zones in quartz, containing liquid-rich inclusions with consistent liquid to vapor
ratios that are indicative of nonboiling conditions. These fluid inclusions are oval to subrectangular (substage L-VI-c, fig. 15f
in Shimizu et al., 1998).

precious metal minerals closely associated with colloform and
microcrystalline quartz.
The previous study did not discuss the variation in boiling
conditions based on the fluid inclusion study. However, Shi-
mizu et al. (1998) suggested that the presence of vapor-rich
inclusions provides evidence of boiling somewhere in the
hydrothermal system. For example, vapor that ascended from
deep regions may be trapped in quartz microfractures. This
interpretation, however, did not consider that the hydro-
thermal system might form below the water table, where

Table 1. Summary of Fluid Inclusion Data of Individual Fluid Inclusion Assemblages in Comb Quartz at the No. 3 Vein, Koryu

Evidence of boiling Salinity FIA group

Th (C) (wt % NaCl equiv) number
Case 1 Case 2
Stages/ FI FIA Sizes (gentle (intense Entrap.
substages type type (m) Shapes boiling) boiling) n Range temp. n Range

L-I-a p rd 6 to 17 ir 6 268 to 288 268 n.d. 1

p rd 5 to 60 ir, po, ov Yes 8 251 to 274 251 3 2.8 to 3.1 2
p rd 10 to 40 ir, po > ov 6 247 to 282 247 3 1.1 3
p rd 7 to 18 ir, po > ov 5 254 to 291 254 2 2.2 4
s sh 2 to 22 po > ov Yes n.d. n.d.
L-I-c p rd 15 to 25 po 2 259 to 262 259 1 1.6 5
p rd 10 po 2 243 to 244 243 n.d. 6
p rd 4 to 15 po > ov 7 251 to 267 251 2 1.1 to 1.6 7
s sh 2 to 36 po Yes n.d. n.d.
L-II p rd 5 to 35 ir, po > ov 11 230 to 257 230 3 2.0 to 2.3 8
L-III-g p rd 4 to 25 ir, po > ov 7 254 to 273 254 1 2.3 9
L-IV-c p rd 5 to 30 ir, po 5 244 to 250 244 3 1.8 to 2.0 10
p rd 3 to 40 ov, po Yes 1 259 259 n.d.
L-VI-c p rd 10 to 50 ir, po 11 244 to 268 2471 8 2.2 to 2.3 11
p sg 8 po 2 261 to 267 2641 n.d. 12
s sh 7 to 50 po > ir, ov 7 230 to 234 2321 4 1.1 to 1.2 13
L-VII p rd 5 to 13 po 3 196 to 222 196 1 1.8 14
p rd 5 to 20 ir, po 5 204 to 229 204 1 2.2 15

Notice that each FIA in substages/stages comes from a separate FIA group; evidence of boiling: cases 1 and 2 correspond to two criteria with phase sepa-
ration defined in the text; case 1 (gentle boiling) indicates that the liquid-rich inclusions measured for Th and salinity are petrographically associated with
vapor-rich inclusions; in the FIA of substage L-IV-c, case 1, only one liquid-rich inclusion is available for Th measurement; case 2 (intense boiling) indicates
that many inclusions are vapor rich without measurements of Th and salinity; FIAs with more than two Th data are numbered as a group from 1 to 15; the
FIA group numbers refer to those in Figure 11
Abbreviations: Entrap. temp. = entrapment temperature, FI = fluid inclusions, ir = irregular, n = number of data points, n.d. = not determined, ov = oval,
p = primary, po = polygonal, qz = quartz, rd = fluid inclusions with a random distribution, mainly at the core of the grain, s = secondary, sg = fluid inclusions
in a single growth band, sh = fluid inclusions in a single healed microfracture, Th = homogenization temperature
1Average value of consistent Th data; the value in group 11 was calculated using 10 Th data between 244 and 250C, excluding one abnormally high Th

datum (268C)
 SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS 2061

liquid water is likely always present. Under such conditions,
a plane of vapor-rich secondary inclusions may indicate boil-
ing at the sample location after mineral growth (Bodnar et
al., 1985). Thus, identification of the origin of fluid inclusion
Group 1
Substage
Frequency
assemblages formed in different vein stages can differentiate
the degree of boiling, from nonboiling through normal boiling
to intense boiling, at the same sample location.
Based on a detailed petrographic study of fluid inclusions
in vein quartz in epithermal deposits in Guanajuato mining
district, Mexico (Moncada et al., 2012), case 1 fluid inclusion
assemblages at Koryu (Fig. 10a) are interpreted to be the

Group 2
L-I-a Group 3 result of gentle boiling, i.e., at normal hydrostatic pressures,
Group 4 whereas case 2 assemblages (Fig. 10b) are the result of intense
boiling, also known as flashing. The presence of both types
of fluid inclusions in substage L-I-a comb quartz at the 30-m
Homogenization temperature (C) mine level indicates that the intensity of boiling fluctuated.
The presence of fluid inclusions trapped under nonboiling
Group 5 conditions (Fig. 10c) in the comb quartz in substage L-VI-c,
Frequency

Substage Group 6 between the 30-m mine level and the 110-m mine sublevel,
L-I-c Group 7 suggests that the base of boiling may have shifted. This shift
was at least 80 m, from the 30-m mine level to the higher
level, when this comb quartz was formed. Alternatively, the
whole system may not have boiled, perhaps due to a pressure
Homogenization temperature (C) increase.
If an FIA yields consistent Th data (i.e., 90% of the Th
Frequency

Stage Group 8 data within a 1015C interval) among inclusions of vari-

L-II ous sizes and shapes, then the homogenization temperatures
of the inclusions record original conditions of entrapment
(Goldstein and Reynolds, 1994). FIAs for nonboiling con-
Homogenization temperature (C)
ditions show a consistent Th (groups 11, 12, and 13 in sub-
stage L-VI-c in Table 1 and Fig. 11). Assuming nonboiling
Substage Group 9
Frequency

conditions in the epithermal environment, where pressure of

L-III-g
nonboiling fluid at the inclusion site would be the hydrostatic
head plus unknown overpressure limited only by the vein con-
Homogenization temperature (C) striction (Roedder and Bodnar, 1980), the pressure correc-
tion of homogenization temperatures could be negligible. The
Group 10
Frequency

entrapment temperature for nonboiling conditions is repre-

Substage sented by an averaged Th value in each FIA in the present
L-IV-c
study (Table 1).
Individual FIAs in other groups mostly show variable Th
Homogenization temperature (C) data (Fig. 11). The definition of variability is outside the 90%
within 10-15C cutoff (Goldstein and Reynolds, 1994, p.
Group 11 136). The variable Th data for individual FIAs may be due to
Group 12 thermal reequilibration, i.e., necking down, or may represent
Substage Group 13 unaltered fluid inclusions collected from FIAs with real vari-
L-VI-c
Frequency

ability (Goldstein and Reynolds, 1994). The evidence of gen-

tle boiling in substage L-I-a and substage L-IV-c suggests that
the FIA in both substages could be a result of heterogeneous
entrapment. As discussed in the next section, the presence of
adularia associated with comb quartz in stages/substages L-I-
a, L-I-c, L-II, L-III-g, and L-VII indicates fluid boiling; the
variation of Th in the groups of the stages/substages may have
Homogenization temperature (C)
been a result of heterogeneous entrapment. The minimum
Th in the groups could be an entrapment temperature for the
Group 14 boiling conditions (Table 1).
Stage Group 15 The entrapment temperature in individual FIAs with pri-
Frequency

L-VII
Homogenization temperature (C)
Fig. 11. Frequency histograms of homogenization temperature. FIA
groups 1 to 15 correspond to those in Table 1. Notice that data from each
group is given a different symbol in stages/substages.
mary origin varies between 243 and 268C from stages L-I
to L-VII, except for stages L-II and L-VII (Table 1). It fluctu-
ates even in a single substage (e.g., L-I-a, L-I-c, and L-VI-
c), indicating the conditions from which quartz crystals grew.
The temperature decreases to 230 and 196C in stage L-II
and stage L-VII, respectively, suggesting that the hydrother-
mal activity waned during each stage. The reinterpretation
of Th with respect to FIAs above shows subtler temperature
2062 SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS
variations than the previous study (Shimizu et al., 1998),
which reported that the entrapment temperature ranged from
250C in substages L-I-a to L-VI-c to 206C in stage L-VII.
The salinities were low in the stages, between 1.1 and
3.0wt% NaCl equiv. The decrepitation technique (described
in detail in Shimizu et al., 1998) shows that the CO2 content
in the fluid inclusions in substage L-I-a is 0.29 molal, indicat-
ing that the freezing point depression may have been up to
0.6C in substage L-I-a for a molal freezing point depres-
sion constant of 1.94 (Barton and Chou, 1993). Therefore, the
apparent salinity of 1.1 to 3.1 wt % NaCl equiv in substage
L-I-a (Table 1) would be converted to the actual salinity of 0.0
to 2.0 wt % NaCl in consideration of the dissolved CO2.
Relationship between quartz textures, boiling, and
precious metal deposition
Koryu is characterized by a variety of quartz textures at the
hand specimen scale, including crustiform, comb, colloform,
microcrystalline, cockade, and platy textures, based on the
spatial distribution of multiple generations of silica deposited
in an area of 130 m horizontally 110 m vertically in the
no. 3 vein documented in this study. In a number of samples,
two bonanza-grade zones were associated with the parts of the
vein exhibiting the greatest textural complexity and the largest
number of overprinted generations of quartz. This suggests
that the bonanza zones formed in the main fluid conduits of
multiple hydrothermal events.
Fluid inclusion studies show that boiling intensity var-
ies in time and space during vein formation. Primary fluid
inclusions in comb quartz show evidence of gentle boiling
or nonboiling conditions, suggesting that this quartz texture
indicates formation under these conditions. Mineralogical
evidence for boiling includes the presence of platy calcite
(Simmons and Christenson, 1994), which was replaced by
quartz pseudomorphs in substage L-I-d, and adularia in other
stages (Hedenquist et al., 2000; Fig. 8). The close association
of precious metal minerals and microcrystalline and colloform
quartz at Koryu was likely the result of concomitant precipita-
tion of precious metals and amorphous silica due to intense
boiling (Fig. 8). This theory is supported by the fact that large
amounts of precious metals precipitate with amorphous silica
as a consequence of H2S loss due to intense boiling in surface
pipes where there are sharp pressure decreases in some New
Zealand geothermal wells (Brown, 1986). However, the metal
content of the fluid determines whether the microcrystalline
and colloform quartz are associated with precious metals. For
example, the absence of precious metals in microcrystalline
quartz with cockade texture in substage L-V-a suggests that
the fluids did not contain enough dissolved metals at this sub-
stage, though the hydrological conditions were favorable for
metal deposition.
The fluid inclusion and mineralogical data above suggest
that boiling repeatedly occurred during vein formation at
Koryu; the timing of boiling is indicated as inferred boiling
in Figure 8.
Combined with the fluid inclusion study in comb quartz in
substage L-I-a, the common presence of cockade-textured
quartz with host-rock fragments in early vein stages L-I and
L-II is interpreted to result from incorporation of host-rock
fragments into ascending fluids accompanied by gentle boiling
during substage L-I-a. Local cockade textures in the substages
L-IV-a, L-V-a, and L-VI-a may have been a result of repeated
hydraulic fracturing during vein formation.
Hydraulic fracturing and a concomitant rapid pressure
drop caused intense boiling (Moncada et al., 2012). Because
intense boiling likely results in high silica supersaturation
with respect to quartz and precipitation of amorphous silica
or chalcedony (e.g., Fournier, 1985), the presence of micro-
crystalline and colloform quartz at Koryu is consistent with
the silica supersaturation.
Similar relationships between boiling conditions and quartz
textures at the 30-m mine level indicate that silica saturation
with respect to quartz fluctuated on this level during vein
formation.
Although some local variation in quartz textures were
observed, comb, microcrystalline, and colloform textures were
commonly traced along a band at a scale of tens to hundreds
of meters, suggesting the existence of uniform silica-supersat-
urated conditions with respect to quartz during formation of
the band in the no. 3 vein.
At the same scale, the vein had high precious metal min-
eral contents when adularia was abundant; however, pre-
cious metal mineral contents were low in bands of adularia
and quartz at hand specimen to microscopic scale (Shimizu et
al., 1998). The weak correlation between adularia and Au-Ag
minerals (Fig. 8) could be a result of the following depositional
mechanism. In geothermal systems and their analogues for
epithermal mineralization, the principal control on pH is the
concentration of CO2 in solution (Henley et al., 1984). Thus,
boiling and loss of CO2 to the vapor results in an increase in
the pH (equation 1):
HCO3 + H+ = H2CO3 CO2 (g) + H2O. (1)
Reaction path modeling among aqueous and gaseous spe-
cies and minerals shows that the cooling and pH increase
favor the deposition of adularia (Simmons and Browne, 2000).
However, the increase in pH, along with an increase in oxida-
tion state due to H2 loss, initially caused reaction 2 to shift to
the left, competing with H2S loss, thereby resulting in delay in
the gold deposition (Brown, 1989):
Au(HS)2 + 0.5H2 (g) = Au + H2S (g) + HS. (2)
This suggests that adularia and precious metal minerals did
not necessarily coprecipitate.
The sharp change from high-grade Au-Ag ore to barren
rock in the colloform band of substage L-V-b near the 30-m
mine level observed in the present study suggests that the
economic bottom of the epithermal system in which intense
boiling occurred may have been located near this level during
formation of substage L-V-b. This theory is consistent with a
model in which epithermal bonanza ores are located at and
immediately above the base of the boiling zone in such sys-
tems, where intense boiling occurs, and little or no precipita-
tion of precious metals below or above this horizon (Moncada
et al., 2012).
However, intense boiling is not the only cause of precious
metal mineralization. Gentle boiling may be an indication of
lower-grade precious metal precipitation spread over a larger
vertical range above the base of the boiling zone, and the
highest ore grades may occur at some distance above the base
 SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS 2063
of the boiling zone (Simmons and Browne, 2000; Moncada
et al., 2012). The absence of precious metals in comb quartz,
along with evidence of gentle boiling (substages L-I-a and
L-IV-c, Fig. 8), suggests that precious metals are not neces-
sarily deposited at the depth of first gentle boiling. Rather,
they are deposited at depths where they become saturated,
or at shallower depths if precious metals are physically trans-
ported as colloids (Hedenquist et al., 2000; Saunders, 1990,
2012).
The presence of intense and gentle boiling among different
stages/substages at the same depth indicates that the base of
the boiling zone likely shifts upward and downward during
vein formation.
Precious metal mineral concentration on the lee side of
mineral protrusions (Fig. 9b, c), called sluice box texture
(Saunders et al., 2011; Saunders, 2012), has been observed in
several epithermal deposits in the western United States (e.g.,
Ivanhoe/Hollister and Republic). This texture locally occurs
at Koryu in the band of substage L-IV-c, where comb quartz
is dominant. At Koryu, ore minerals are mainly composed of
anhedral grains of chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and electrum that
coprecipitated with microcrystalline quartz on the lee side
of protrusions (Fig. 9d-f). This feature suggests that metals
and amorphous silica or chalcedony may have been physically
transported as colloidal particles, as proposed by Saunders et
al. (2011) and Saunders (2012). Electrum and silica colloids
nucleate as a consequence of H2S loss in boiling fluids in the
epithermal systems (Saunders, 1990, 1994).
The close spatial association between the comb quartz
protrusions formed under gentle boiling conditions and pre-
cious metal minerals with microcrystalline quartz suggests the
following precipitation sequence: under gentle boiling con-
ditions during substage L-IV-c mineralization, comb quartz
locally formed protrusions that interrupted laminar fluid flow
and led to turbulent fluid flow on the lee side of the protru-
sions (Fig. 9c). Colloidal precipitation of silica and precious
metal minerals that were transported by gently boiling fluid
from depth may have been accelerated by particle-particle
collision and adherence in the turbulent flow (Fig. 9c).
Although intense boiling at the base of the boiling zone is
the main mechanism for precious metal precipitation in the
bonanza zone, physical transport of the metals is also a mech-
anism for local precious metal deposition at Koryu.
Interpretation of the relationship of quartz textures
to paleodepth
The depth of formation of epithermal deposits worldwide
ranges from approximately 50 to 1,500 m below the paleowa-
ter table under hydrostatic pressures (Hedenquist et al., 2000;
Simmons et al., 2005; Christie et al., 2007). These are mini-
mum values, however, because the presence of small amounts
of CO2, the main gas in geothermal fluids, increases the total
fluid pressure by as much as several tens of bars and increases
the depth range of boiling to hundreds of meters (Hedenquist
and Henley, 1985). Fluid inclusions that show evidence of
boiling and a geologic reconstruction provide information on
the depth of mineralization at Koryu (Shimizu et al., 1998);
the minimum and maximum depths (corrected for CO2 con-
tent of fluid inclusions) during substage L-I-a comb quartz
formation at the 30-m mine level are estimated as 430 and 850
m below the paleowater table, respectively, under hydrostatic
pressure.
Christie et al. (2007) noted a relationship between paleo
depths and quartz textures of major epithermal deposits in
New Zealand. Crustiform and platy textures are common
at shallow to deep depths (2001,000 m) of these epither-
mal systems. Other textures, however, are likely more spe-
cific indicators of paleodepth, although the range of depth is
broad. Comb texture is characteristic of deep depths (>500m)
whereas microcrystalline and colloform textures are typical at
intermediate to shallower depths (<500 m). Based on these
observations, paleodepth implications of the textural varia-
tions in quartz at Koryu are interpreted.
The dominance of comb quartz in early mineralization
stages L-I and L-II at the 30-m mine level suggests forma-
tion at a relatively deep paleodepth of >500 m. This is con-
sistent with the paleodepth estimates of 430 to 850 m using
the fluid inclusion data from the earliest substage, L-I-a. The
deep paleodepth is also consistent with the enrichment in
base metal sulfides in the next substage, L-I-b, at the same
mine level (Shimizu et al., 1998). Precious metal zones in
many epithermal deposits are zoned with greater abundances
of base metal sulfides at depth (e.g., Buchanan, 1981; Bobis
et al., 1995; Dong and Zhou, 1996; Christie et al., 2007). The
early-stage L-I and L-II were followed by late-stage L-III to
L-VIII, which are characterized by variations from a deep tex-
tural assemblage (comb texture) and intermediate to shallow
(<500 m) textural assemblages (microcrystalline and collo-
form textures). This variation could suggest that the depth
below the water table fluctuated during vein formation. The
following geologic history could have been conducive to pro-
duction of the textural variation at Koryu.
K-Ar ages of adularia from stages L-I, L-III, and L-VII sug-
gest that the later vein formed at about 1.0 Ma, although one
of the ages from substage L-I-a has a large uncertainty (1.2
0.7 Ma, Fig. 8). Volcanic eruptions can temporarily cause
a decrease of >100 m in the water table on a scale of hours
to months in nearby hydrothermal systems, accompanied by
rapid decreases in pressure, which can result in intense boil-
ing, brecciation, and precious metal deposition in the system
(Simmons et al., 2005). The formation of telescoped vein tex-
tures at Koryu may have been triggered by coincidental vol-
canic eruptions that formed Sapporodake and Soranumadake
volcanoes at 1.2 0.1 and 0.8 0.3 Ma, respectively, 4 to 9 km
northwest of Koryu (Fig. 1b; Watanabe, 1990).
Conclusions
On the basis of quartz morphology of hand specimens and
fluid inclusion petrography of the no. 3 vein of Koryu, the pres-
ent study offers several genetic insights into vein formation:
1. In the bonanza ore zones, early-stage L-I and L-II comb
quartz was overprinted by late-stage L-III to L-VIII quartz
with comb, microcrystalline, and colloform textures, the latter
two of which are the most common in the late stages. Comb,
microcrystalline, and colloform textures can be traced along
each mineralizing band in a macroscopic scale up to 130 m,
suggesting the existence of uniform silica-supersaturated con-
ditions with respect to quartz during the formation of the indi-
vidual bands.
2064 SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS
2. Three types of fluid conditions were classified as intense
boiling, gentle boiling, and nonboiling on the basis of fluid
inclusion petrography.
3. Comb quartz texture appears to indicate gentle boiling
or nonboiling conditions of fluids, whereas microcrystalline
and colloform quartz textures are indicative of intense boiling.
4.Such relationships between boiling conditions and
quartz textures at different times at the same 30-m mine level
indicate that the intensity of boiling of the hydrothermal fluid
fluctuated at a given depth during vein formation.
5. Reinterpretation of homogenization temperatures with
respect to fluid inclusion assemblages in comb quartz trapped
under both gently boiling and nonboiling conditions show
that the entrapment temperature in individual FIAs with
primary origin varies between 243 and 268C during stages
L-I to L-VII, except for stages L-II and L-VII. The fluid tem-
perature fluctuates even within a single substage (e.g., L-I-a,
L-I-c, and L-VI-c). Fluid temperature decreases to 230 and
196C in stages L-II and L-VII, respectively, suggesting that
the hydrothermal activity waned during the late stages.
6. The restriction of precious metals to the colloform band
of substage L-V-b near the 30-m mine level suggests that the
economic base of mineralization formed by intense boiling
during substage L-V-b may have been located near this level.
7. Intense boiling at the base of the boiling zone likely was
the principal mechanism for the bonanza precious metal pre-
cipitation, but the physical transportation of the metals by
gently boiling fluids also was a mechanism for local precious
metal deposition at Koryu.
8. Quartz textures are overprinted in the no. 3 vein, and a
deep, early-stage textural assemblage of comb quartz formed
at >500 m below the water table was followed by multiple
quartz bands with microcrystalline and colloform textures that
formed at shallower depths below the water table. Such over-
printing may be the result of a drop in the water table caused
by volcanic eruptions during vein formation.
Acknowledgments
This study has benefited from discussion on quartz tex-
tures with Dr. Hiroharu Matsueda (Hokkaido University), Dr.
Masahiro Aoki (AIST, Geological Museum), Dr. James Saun-
ders (Auburn Universtiy), and Dr. Jeff Mauk (U.S. Geological
Survey), and by the underground sampling assistance of Mr.
Seiich Ibaraki. The manuscript was significantly improved by
the careful reviews of the associate editor, Dr. David John,
Dr. Jeff Hedenquist, and an anonymous reviewer. Construc-
tive comments by the editor, Dr. Larry Meinert, are sincerely
acknowledged.
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