Granite-related W-Sn ore systems are commonly associated with coeval Pb-Zn mineralization. It remains unclear whether these metals are derived from the same sources or not. Mercury(Hg) is a common minor component in s...Granite-related W-Sn ore systems are commonly associated with coeval Pb-Zn mineralization. It remains unclear whether these metals are derived from the same sources or not. Mercury(Hg) is a common minor component in such systems. Hg isotopes undergo unique mass-independent fractionation(expressed as Δ^(199)Hg values), which is mainly generated during Hg photochemical reactions on Earth's surface and not affected by magmatic-hydrothermal processes, offering an excellent opportunity to trace metal sources in hydrothermal systems. We observed near-zero Δ^(199)Hg values in wolframite(-0.10‰ to0.08‰, n=11), and in skarn-(-0.17‰ to 0.12‰, n=48) and greisen-type(-0.12‰ to 0.10‰, n=11) bulk tin-tungsten ore from eight major ore deposits in South China. These values are identical to those of coeval highly evolved granites(-0.13‰ to 0.12‰,n=49), supporting that Hg in W-Sn ores were sourced from granite. However, sulfides(e.g., pyrite, chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite,galena, and sphalerite) in these deposits exhibit negative to near-zero Δ^(199)Hg values(-0.42‰ to 0.09‰, n=124), which indicates a contribution of Hg and by inference other metals from both Precambrian basement rocks(Δ^(199)Hg<0) and ore-related granites.The study demonstrates that multiple sources of metals were involved in the formation of the polymetallic W-Sn deposits, and further highlights that extraction of metals from basement rocks may be a critical control on the formation of economically important mineralization of base metal sulfides(e.g., Pb, Zn) in granite-related magmatic-hydrothermal systems.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41873047, 42102277)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2021M703188)the Guizhou Provincial 2021 Science and Technology Subsidies (Grant No. GZ2021SIG)。
文摘Granite-related W-Sn ore systems are commonly associated with coeval Pb-Zn mineralization. It remains unclear whether these metals are derived from the same sources or not. Mercury(Hg) is a common minor component in such systems. Hg isotopes undergo unique mass-independent fractionation(expressed as Δ^(199)Hg values), which is mainly generated during Hg photochemical reactions on Earth's surface and not affected by magmatic-hydrothermal processes, offering an excellent opportunity to trace metal sources in hydrothermal systems. We observed near-zero Δ^(199)Hg values in wolframite(-0.10‰ to0.08‰, n=11), and in skarn-(-0.17‰ to 0.12‰, n=48) and greisen-type(-0.12‰ to 0.10‰, n=11) bulk tin-tungsten ore from eight major ore deposits in South China. These values are identical to those of coeval highly evolved granites(-0.13‰ to 0.12‰,n=49), supporting that Hg in W-Sn ores were sourced from granite. However, sulfides(e.g., pyrite, chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite,galena, and sphalerite) in these deposits exhibit negative to near-zero Δ^(199)Hg values(-0.42‰ to 0.09‰, n=124), which indicates a contribution of Hg and by inference other metals from both Precambrian basement rocks(Δ^(199)Hg<0) and ore-related granites.The study demonstrates that multiple sources of metals were involved in the formation of the polymetallic W-Sn deposits, and further highlights that extraction of metals from basement rocks may be a critical control on the formation of economically important mineralization of base metal sulfides(e.g., Pb, Zn) in granite-related magmatic-hydrothermal systems.
