Paul Dennis edited geology3.tex  over 8 years ago

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Dirtlow Rake (GR) is a major WSW-ENE trending strike slip fault lying just to the south of Castleton, Figure 1. The fault is exposed in a series of old surface workings where excavations up to 10 metres wide and several 10's of metres long have been made for the commercial extraction of galena and spahalerite, Figure 3. These old pits can be traced along the length of the fault for a distance of more than 10km. Where exposed individual slip planes show well developed sub-horizontal slickensides. Within In  the fault zone and adjacent rock  there is a pervasive mesoscale fracturing with variable fracture orientations and widths ranging from sub-mm through to several cms. The fault shows  extensive development of a complex vein fill dominated by calcite with variable amounts of baryte, fluorite, galena and spahalerite. The calcite occurs as large, large (several cm long),  elongate, syntaxial crystals. The growth form is often sparry with scalenohedral terminations. Thin section examination shows the crystals to grow Both  in optical continuity despite many apparent hand specimens and thin sections there is evidence of zoned crystal  growthhiatuses. These are  marked by colour variations, crystallographically controlled  planes of separation and surfaces  with high inclusion denisites and the presence of small calcite crystals with an apparent random orientation, densities,  Figure 4. The vein used  for the top of the platformevidence for high pore fluid pressures during the period of faulting with the development of mode I fractures and in places a pervasive mesoscale fracture network. Fracture dimensions range this study (DLR7) was collected  from sub-mm to fault widths of several metres. Fracture and fault vein fill at all the locations is dominated by white, sparry calcite often showing a syntaxial growth pattern with varying degrees of complexity as a result of repeated episodes of movement, brecciation and renewed hydrothermal mineral growth. SK14880 81805.