Specialist studies: Fluid inclusions in the granitic rocks of the Lachlan Fold Belt

Abstract

Very little is known of the complex history of fluid interaction with the rocks of the Lachlan Fold Belt. In this survey we have examined the nature and abundance of the fluids trapped as inclusions in the granitic rocks of south-eastern NSW and Victoria. Some hundreds of specimens have been examined in thin section, embracing examples of Valiance's (1969) Bathurst, Murrumbidgee and Cooma granite types, together with leucogranites and other distinctive variants. Selected doubly-polished thick sections were used in homogenization temperature measurements and salinity determinations, using heating and freezing stages, respectively.