METALLOGENY AND LEAD ISOTOPE DATA FROM THE OSLO PALEORIFT

The Permian Oslo Paleorift, situated at the southwestern margin of the Baltic shield, includes the Oslo Region and its southward extension under Skagerak. The exposed part of the paleorift comprises two half-grabens (Vestfold and Akershus graben segments) filled with Permian sediments, volcanics and intrusive rocks as well as Cambrc-Silurian sedimentary rocks. The evolution of the Oslo Rift can be divided into a rifting stage, a caldera stage and a batholith stage. The rifting stage is characterized by weak mineralization of native copper in basalts. The caldera stage includes Fe-Ti cumulates in subvolcanic layered alkali gabbros, Nb-REE disseminations in aphyric trachytes, and epigenetic Mo-mineralizations. The batholith stage includes porphyry and intraplutonic vein deposits of Mo and contact metasomatic deposits of Fe, W, Mo, Be, Zn, Pb, Cu, Bi, As and F. Along the rift margin in Precambrian gneisses and amphibolites there are vein deposits of Fe-oxides, base metals and native silver. The relationship between the rift margin deposits and the evolution of the rift is still unclear, but many deposits are spatially related to Permian dolerite dykes. Lead isotope data from hydrothermal deposits in the Oslo Rift fall into two main groups. The first group comprises the rift margin deposits. They are very radiogenic and reflect an upper crustal source for the metals. The source of the silver deposits generally has a lower μ-value and a higher w-value than the base metal deposits. The rift margin deposits are therefore not a product of metal zonation from a single hydrothermal solution. The second group comprises deposits associated with granitic intrusions in the Oslo Graben and reflects a lower to intermediate crustal source for the metals. Deposits in the Vestfold graben segment are generally more radiogenic than deposits in the Akershus graben segment and this difference may be explained by a small contribution of highly radiogenic lead from underlying Precambrian granites. The data show that individual intrusions can be characterized by their lead isotope composition and thus confirm the relationship between intrusions and mineralizations. The data indicate a more radiogenic source for the peralkaline intrusions compared to the biotite granites, but more data are needed to confirm this suggestion. © 1990.