Phreatic sulphide bearing quatz breccias between cristalline basement and Collio Formation (Southern Alps, Italy)

In this work a report is given of the geological, petrographic and ore mineralogical features of several sulphide-bearing quartz breccia (SQB) bodies outcropping in a structurally complex sector of the Orobic Alps (Southern Alpine Domain) and close to the uranium-rich mining area of Novazza. Although little studied, these breccia bodies were previously attributed to different genetic processes and/or geological domains (e.g., Crystalline Basement, Basal Conglomerate formation). The features of the SQB bodies suggest a hydrothermal origin likely related to the large-scale hydrothermal process causing the formation of the nearby uranium ore deposit at Novazza.