A compilation of geobarometric data from Archean lode-gold deposits wo
rldwide suggests that these deposits display a continuum of formation
pressures from < 50 MPa to 700 MPa. The calculated fluid pressures hav
e been utilized, using the fluid-inclusion program MacFlinCor, to cons
train crustal depths assuming litho- and hydrostatic-pressure gradient
s. The inferred crustal depths of mineralization in lode-gold deposits
from the Archean Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia, the Superior Pr
ovince in Canada, and cratonic areas in South Africa and Brazil displa
y a continuum of depths for the formation of these late-orogenic, epig
enetic lode-gold deposits. Three major pressure ranges and related dep
th-levels can be identified: (1) epizonal levels (at < 150 MPa corresp
onding to < 6 km e.g., Wiluna and Racetrack), mesozonal levels (at > 1
50 to 300 MPa corresponding to > 6 to < 12 km, e.g., Golden Mile and H
ollinger-McIntyre), and hypozonal deposits (at > 300 MPa corresponding
to > 12 km e.g., Marvel Loch and Griffins Find). The large crustal ex
tent of epigenetic Archean lode-gold deposits appears to be an importa
nt characteristic when compared to other ore-deposit classes such as V
olcanic Massive Sulfide (VMS) and Mississippi-Valley type (MVT) deposi
ts that are constrained to have formed at upper crustal levels only. T
he crustal depths of late-orogenic, epigenetic Archean lode-gold depos
its from Western Australia display a continuum from shallow to deep, w
hereas lode-gold deposits from the Superior Province in Canada show a
distinct clustering of depths at the mesozonal level (> 6 km to < 12 k
m). The geobarometric data for the Western Australian deposits are com
patible with the model of Groves et al. (1991, 1992) that predicts a c
rustal continuum for Archean lode-gold deposits in Western Australia.
The limited number of known large epi- and hypozonal deposits in the C
anadian Superior Province may be a result of a combination of a differ
ent crustal make-up, scant fluid-inclusion studies, and/or lack of exp
loration in terrains of high- and low-metamorphic grade.