DELTA-S-34 OF LOWER CARBONIFEROUS ANHYDRITE, CUMBRIA AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR BARITE MINERALIZATION IN NORTHERN PENNINES

Recent hydrocarbon exploration in the Solway Basin has revealed the ex istence of Lower Carboniferous paralic sediments which contain numerou s discrete anhydrite beds. Anhydrite S isotope ratios from the Easton- 1 Well are compared with new isotopic data from barite mineralization that occurs along the faulted southern margin of the Northumberland-So lway Basin and published data from the Northern Pennine orefield. Simi larities between the delta(34)S of anhydrite and barites from major mi nes at Haydon Bridge and the Alston district of the Northern Pennine o refield supports a Lower Carboniferous marine sulphate source for mine ralization at these sites. identification of extensive evaporite depos its in the Solway Basin resolves several longstanding problems associa ted with mineralization in the Northern Pennines including the source of barite sulphate and the origin of hypersaline mineralizing fluids.