'Institute of Geological Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine'
Abstract
A zioneo f lead, zinc and copperm ineralisatioins developedo ver a minimum
I of 4 km of strikeo f basal Carboniferoucse mentstoneg roup sedimentsa nd
immediatelyu nderlyingB irrenswarkL avas atwestwater,n ear Laqholm in south
Scotland. Grades so far obtained from sparse rock exposures and from shallow
boreholes
a fissure
sulphides
are usuallyO .l-O.j%o f combinedm etals over 1-2 m of thickness,bu t
vein of higher grade and a relativelyt hick zone of disseminated
were also located. Galena, sphalerite,c halcopyritea ndbaryte
occur mainly in thin dolomitev eins but disseminationosf galenaa re also
presenti n sandstoneu nits. The mineralisatioins of low temperaturet ype
I
was emplaceda long northeasterlyt rendingn ormal faultsa nd cross faults
regardeda s late Carboniferouisn age.
and
Mineralisatiohna s been controlledb y faulting,r egionalf aciesv aziation
and local lithologicalv ariationa s well as by stratigraphipco sition. These
controlsa re applicablei n furthere xplorationo f Lower Carboniferourso cks in
both south and central Scotland. The heavy mineral fraction of stream sediment
is the optimums amplingt ype in reconnaissanceex plorationo f areas of calcareous .
rocks such as the Lower Carboniferouso f south Scotlanda nd basal till sampling
is the most effectivem ethod of follow-upe xplorationi n those areas where
glaciald epositsa re widespreada nd often thick