Taishu mine, well known as one of the high-grade lead-zinc deposits in Japan, is located in Tsushima islands, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. The ore deposits are of mesothermal or xenothermal veins of the late Miocene age, composing predominantly of galena, sphalerite and pyrrhotite with minor amo-unts of chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite and pyrite. There are two-type veins in the Taishu mine, that is N-S veins occurring in the N-S normal faults and bedding plane veins formed in the bedding plane faults. Bedding plane fault is reverse fault being developed along the bedding plane in sandstone and alternation of sandstone and shale, and was formed at the same age when the Taishu formation of the Tertiary age was folded prior to the N-S normal fault. The following places are favorable to the formation of ore shoot in sandstone.
(1) The curved part of strike where strike of sandstone shows nearly N-S direction, whereas general strike is N35°E.
(2) The low dipped part where dip of sandstone shows about 15°-20° E, whereas general dip is 35°E.
(3) The part where shear fracture or tension fracture of the second order is developed in sandstone.
(4) The part where drag fold accompanied by the bedding plane fault is developed in sandstone.
(5) The part where the N-S normal fault intersects sandstone.
Therefore, ore shoot in sandstone on a large scale was formed in places wheres many abovementi-oned structures occurred overlappingly. It seems that mineralizing solution penetrated into the N-S normal fault after firstly ascended through the bedding plane fault, and then deposited the bedding plane deposits and N-S deposits. As a result of prospecting since 1962 based on the abovementioned analysis on the structural controls, new bedding plane ore bodies have been discovered.
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