HYDROTHERMAL HALITE IN THE Pb-Zn MINERAL ASSOCIATION OF THE SASA DEPOSIT (NORTH MACEDONIA)

Abstract

The present study was performed to describe an occurrence of hydrothermal halite in the Sasa ore field. The occurrence of halite in hydrothermal systems is not a rare occurrence, considering the different types of hydrothermal processes. Тhe occurrence of hydrothermal halite embedded in calcite crys-tals has not been established so far. In the Sasa ore field calcite is the most important of all non-ore minerals. It occurs together with dolomite, rhodochrosite, siderite, barite, quartz, calcedony, opal, and so on. Halite crystals are in form of dendrites. The morphology of natural halite is largely dominated by the cube {100}; the {110} and {111} forms are rarely present. When crystals grow by evaporation from aqueous solution the perfection of the cube faces is usually lost. Оwing to the high values of the supersaturation appear dendritic branches developing in the <111> directions. Dendrite forms when water rich in NaCl flows be-tween microscopic layers of calcite. Halite crystals are long from 4.08 to 22.35 and widе from 1.24 to 2.42 μm.