Knowledge Bank

This study deals with the petrographic and geochemical description of one of the lead-zinc fissure veins occurring in the Connecticut Valley region of Massachusetts. The petrographic studies show a quartz-rich, feldspar defficient lead-zinc deposit with minor copper mineralization. The alteration effects shown by both the vein and adjacent wallrock were minor and indicated formational temperatures of the mesothermal range. The anomalous concentrations of the base metals, which are more common to higher temperatures and pressures of formation, indicate the existence of a zoned type deposit. Boxwork structures exhibited in the Poplar Hill location indicate possible supergene enrichment of subsurface levels. Detailed mapping and mineralogical descriptions coupled with core sampling of the area could indicate the presence of copper, tin and molybdenum mineralization.