Geology and ore genesis of the Trimouns talc-chlorite ore deposit, Pyrenees, France

The Trimouns deposit, in the French Pyrenees, is one of the largest talc and chlorite exploitation in the world. The conditions of formation and concentration for talc and chlorite ores are now well known. The deposit consists the metasomatic alteration of various rocks, mainly dolostones altered into talc-dominant ore and silico-aluminous rocks ( mica schists and pegmatites) into chlorite-dominant ore. The talc ore shows schisteous texture (talc schist) or in compact mass (steatite). The chlorite ore altered from pegmatite show green colors and ball bodies. The chlorite ores altered from mica schists are either massive or schisteous ores with gray greenish and dark gray colors. This paper summarizes the general geology and ore genesis of this exceptional talc and chlorite ore deposit in Europe. Fluid inclusion study shows high salinity of 20 to 30% eq. wt% NaCl, intermediate temperature of 320℃ and pressure of 2.5 kbars for the formation of Trimouns deposit. According to U-Pb dating on xenotime and monazite, the mineralization took place during 112 to 97 Ma and last for at least 16 million years.