Abstract: Vein formation occurred throughout a deformation sequence which involved early transpressive ductile deformation through to late-kinematic transpressive brittle structures which host a series of gold prospects. Fluid inclusion data from (S1) fabric parallel veins associated with early deformation suggest that a low-salinity aqueous fluid, with a mean salinity of 6.4 wt.%, was present during peak metamorphism. Pelite mineralogy and isochores constrain peak metamorphism to the lowermost part of the upper greenschist facies at 325 to 425°C and 1.4 to 3.4 kbar.

Fluid inclusion data from auriferous and barren late-kinematic quartz veins, both containing unmixing assemblages of aqueo-carbonic inclusions with low salinities of ≈2.7 wt.% NaCl equiv., indicate unmixing occurred at 300°C and 1.5 kbar.

Volatiles (CO₂, N₂, CH₄) are observed in all the late-kinematic veins. The N₂ contents of veins with elevated gold grades are typically higher than those with low gold grades. N₂ reaches 8.7 mole% in a vein with 0.49–4.6 p.p.m. Au compared to <1 mole% in a vein with <0.05 p.p.m. Au. The CH₄ content of late kinematic veins is generally less than 1 mole% and shows no relative enrichment in mineralised veins. The generation of N₂ in the mineralising fluid most likely results from interaction of fluid with the ammonium ion, NH₄⁺, in micas and feldspars. This interaction could take place either at source, due to metamorphic devolatisation reactions, or along those structures which acted as fluid conduits due to fluid-rock interaction.