The Carlin gold deposit, largest of the epithermal disseminated replacement-type gold deposits discovered to date in the United States, formed as a result of hydrothermal processes associated with a shallow-seated late Tertiary igneous event. The orebodies formed by the replacement of carbonate minerals, principally calcite, in thin-bedded argillaceous arenaceous dolomitic beds favorable for mineralization within the upper 245+ m of the Roberts Mountains Formation. Early hydrothermal fluids dissolved calcite and deposited quartz. Fluids during the main hydrothermal stage introduced Si, Al, K, Ba, Fe, S, and organic materials, plus Au, As, Sb, Hg, and Tl; quartz and pyrite were deposited, potassium clays formed, and more calcite was dissolved. Sulfides and sulfosalts containing As, Sb, Hg, and Tl, and base metal sulfides of Pb, Zn, and Cu probably formed later in the paragenesis.
The main stage of ore deposition was terminated with the deposition of barite veins and the onset of boiling. The fluids lost H20, C02, H2S, and other components, leading to the production of H2S04 in the upper levels of the deposit and to subsequent intense acid leaching and oxidation of rocks and ore near the surface. Within this zone, calcite and large amounts of dolomite were removed, sulfides and organic compounds oxidized, kaolinite and anhydrite formed, and silica was added. After the hydrothermal event, the upper part of the deposit underwent weak oxidation by cooler ground water.
