Geology, geochemistry, and genesis of Cyprus sulfide deposits

The massive sulfide deposits of Cyprus occur near the top of a basic pillow lava sequence. The sulfides are underlain by hydrothermally altered lavas and by a stockwork zone; lavas stratigraphically overlying the sulfides are fresh and unaltered.Four representative deposits are described to illustrate the essentially similar general character of all the deposits as well as the wide compositional and mineralogical differences in the massive ore of the different deposits.Evidence is presented to substantiate an hypothesis that the massive ore owes its present character to submarine secondary leaching and enrichment of a primary deposit during an intervolcanic period. The genetic history of the sulfide deposits is outlined.