In the Xambioá-São Geraldo do Araguaia region, located in the northern segment of the Araguaia belt, pegmatitic and hydrothermal quartz veins with opal, amethyst, three colored quartz, and with rutile and chlorite occur. The genesis of these veins has been investigated due to their gemmological interest. The most important opal — bearing quartz vein is hosted by metasedimentary rocks of the Xambioá Formation, and presents a rough zoning in addition to a brecciated texture. The outer zone of the vein consists of milky quartz, while the inner zone is composed of onyx, jasper opal (C-T) cut by small veins of C-T opa! and A opal. High salinity fluids of H2O-0O2-NaCl and H20-KCl-NaCl systems (> 26 wt% of NaCl equiv.) have been found in the outer zone quartz, while in the intermediate zone low salinity fluids of the system H20-FeCl2-NaCl (0,88 to 3,71 wt% o NaCl equiv.) were observed. Th ranges from 232 to 310°C and from 110 to 145°C for the quartz of the outer and intermediate portions, respectively. These data, along with the opal metastability suggest that the quartz of the outer zone may be related to the regional metamorphism of Brasiliano age that affected the Araguaia belt. They also suggest a contribution of meteoric water to the formation to both the jasper opal and the C-T opal, as well as a supergenic origin to the A opal. The inner portions of these veins may have been formed by the reactivation of older fractures during the Paleozoic and/or Mesozoic. The vein with amethyst in emplaced into the granitoid body of Serra da Ametista. It is pegmatitic in nature and is composed of quartz, amethyst, microcline, oligoclase, muscovite, and biotite. Fluids of the system F120- KC1-NaCl are found in both quartz and amethyst. In quartz, the salinity of these fluids ranges from 18,95 to 20,75 wt°/.9 of NaCl equiv., and in amethyst from 12,73 to 18,00 wt% NaCl equiv. Th ranges from 190 to 248,5°C in quartz, and from 155 to 200°C in amethyst. These fluids might have had a magmatic origin and be related to the late cooling phase of the Serra da Ametista granitic body. Rb-Sr ages in pairs of minerais (muscovite-microchne and muscovite-oligoclase) range between 390 and 430 Ma. These ages are younger than the probable Brasiliano age of the vein and suggest a partial resetting of the Rb-Sr system due to subsequent tectonic reactivations. The three colored quartz occurs as zoned crystals in the inner parts of quartz veins emplaced into metarkoses and metasandstones of the Pequizeiro Formation. Inclusivas ofred rutile,pyrite and melanterite in the upper parts of the quartz crystals give them the light red to yellowish brown color. In the lower portion, the purple-yellow dual coloration is given by the presence of iron, aluminum, potassium and sodium. In the outer portion of the studied veie, the quartz presents high salinity fluids of the system H20-CaC12-NaCl (20,60 to higher than 23,18 wt°/0 of NaCl), and Th ranging from 488 to 492°C. Fluids of the systems H20- CaC12-NaCl and H20-FeC12-NaCl were identified in the lower portion of the three colored quartz crystals, and of the system H20-FeCl2-NaCl in the upper portions. The salinity of the fluids in the lower portions ranges from 13,83 to 17,34 and from 17,96 to higher than 23,18 wt% of NaCl, respectively. In the upper portions of the crystals, the salinity decreases. Th, which is higher than 485°C in the lower portions decreases to values between 272 and 305°C in the upper portions. A MEV study in the three colored quartz showed inclusions of thorite, metallic mercury in the basal portion; pyrite, cinnabar, and zircon in the intermediate portion; and pyrite, melanterite, anhydrite, and barite in the upper portion. The origin of these veins may be related to the regional magmatism in the Araguaia belt, but a possible influence of the final phases of the regional metamorphism cannot be ruled out. Contribution of meteoric water, mainly to the upper portions of the three colored quartz crystals, has also to be considered.
The quartz veins with rutile and chlorite are hosted by the mica schists and quartzite of the Estrondo Group. They are composed by hyaline quartz crystals, rutile, chlorite, specular hematite, and magnetite. Fluids of the system H20-1CCI-NaCl, were identified in the quartz of the outer parts of the veie, as well as in the quartz with rutile and chlorite of the inner parts. However, the salinity of these fluids is higher in the quartz of the outer parts (18.80 to higher than 23.18 wt% of NaCl) than in the quartz with rutile and chlorite (4.34 a 5.26 wt% of NaCl). Th ranges from 293 to 345°C in the quartz of the outer zone, and from 136.54 to 198.9°C in the quartz with rutile and chlorite. The outer parts of the veie were possibly generated by fluids of magmatic and/or metamorphic origin. However, a considerai* contribution of meteoric waters is considered for the formation of the inner parts of the veins. The data suggest that the quartz veins systems are related to extensional tectonic and to hydrothermal events which took place in the late stages of structural development of the Araguaia belt, following the regional metamorphism and the consequent granitogenesis. In spite of the nature of the aqueous system, the magmatic and/or deep metamorphic fluids that generated the quartz veias show, initially, high salinity and medium to high temperature. Probably due to the increasing contribution of meteoric waters, both the salinity and temperatures (lower than 200° C) decreased. Later, tectonic reactivations during the Paleozoic and/or Mesozoic were responsible for migration and injection of silica bearing solutions, generated at depth, and by precipitation of silica as onix, jasper opal and opal C-T. More recently, opal A was formed in supergenic conditions.
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