Timing of carbonatite-hosted U-polymetallic mineralization in the supergiant Huayangchuan deposit,Qinling Orogen:Constraints from titanite U-Pb and molybdenite Re-Os dating

The newly-discovered supergiant Huayangchuan uranium(U)-polymetallic(Sr,Se,REEs,Ba,Nb and Pb)deposit is located in the Qinling Orogen,central China.The deposit underwent multistage mineralization,with the main carbonatite ore stage being the most important for the U,Nb,REE,Sr and Ba endowments.According to the mineral assemblages,the main carbonatite ore stage can be divided into three substages,i.e.,sulfate(Ba-Sr),alkali-rich U and REE-U mineralization.Main-stage titanite from the Huayangchuan igneous carbonatite are rich in high field strength elements(HFSEs,e.g.,Zr,Nb and REEs),and show clear elemental substitutions(e.g.,Ti vs.Nb+Fe+Al and Ca+Ti vs.Fe+Al+REE).High-precision LA-ICP-MS titanite dating yielded a U-Pb age of 209.0±2.9 Ma,which represents the mainstage mineralization age at Huayangchuan,and is coeval with the local carbonatite dyke intrusion.This mineralization age is further constrained by the Re-Os dating of molybdenite from the Huayangchuan carbonatite,which yielded a weighted mean age of 196.8±2.4 Ma.Molybdenite Re contents(337.55-392.75 ppm)and C-OSr-Nd-Pb isotopic evidence of the Huayangchuan carbonatite both suggest a mantle origin for the carbonatite.Our study supports that the Late Triassic carbonatite magmatism was responsible for the world-class U-Mo-REE mineralization in the Qinling Orogen,and that the regional magmatism and ore formation was likely caused by the closure of the Mianlue ocean and the subsequent North China-South China continent-continent collision.

Geology, geochronology and geochemistry of large Duobaoshan Cu-Mo-Au orefield in NE China: Magma genesis and regional tectonic implications

Duobaoshan is the largest porphyry-related Cu-Mo-Au orefield in northeastern(NE)Asia,and hosts a number of large-medium porphyry Cu(PCDs),epithermal Au and Fe-Cu skarn deposits.Formation ages of these deposits,from the oldest(Ordovician)to youngest(Jurassic),have spanned across over 300 Ma.No similar orefields of such size and geological complexity are found in NE Asia,which reflects its metallogenic uniqueness in forming and preserving porphyry-related deposits.In this study,we explore the actual number and timing of magmatic/mineralization phases,their respective magma genesis,fertility,and regional tectonic connection,together with the preservation of PCDs.We present new data on the magmatic/mineralization ages(LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb,pyrite and molybdenite Re-Os dating),whole-rock geochemistry,and zircon trace element compositions on four representative deposits in the Duobaoshan orefield,i.e.,Duobaoshan PCD,Tongshan PCD,Sankuanggou Fe-Cu skarn,and Zhengguang epithermal Au deposits,and compiled published ones from these and other mineral occurrences in the orefield.In terms of geochronology,we have newly summarized seven magmatic phases in the orefield:(1)Middle-Late Cambrian(506-491 Ma),(2)Early and Middle Ordovician(485-471 Ma and~462 Ma),(3)Late Ordovician(450-447 Ma),(4)Early Carboniferous and Late-Carboniferous to Early Permian(351-345 and 323-291 Ma),(5)Middle-Late Triassic(244-223 Ma),(6)Early-Middle and Late Jurassic(178-168 Ma and~150 Ma),and(7)Early Cretaceous(~112 Ma).Three of these seven major magmatic phases were coeval with ore formation,including(1)Early Ordovician(485-473 Ma)porphyry-type Cu-Mo-(Au),(2)Early-Middle Triassic(246-229 Ma)porphyry-related epithermal Au-(Cu-Mo),and(3)Early Jurassic(177-173 Ma)Fe-Cu skarn mineralization.Some deposits in the orefield,notably Tongshan and Zhengguang,were likely formed by more than one mineralization events.In terms of geochemistry,ore-causative granitoids in the orefield exhibit adakite-like or adakite-normal arc transitional signatures,but those forming the porphyry-/epithermal-type Cu-Mo-Au mineralization are largely confined to the former.The varying but high Sr/Y,Sm/Yb and La/Yb ratios suggest that the ore-forming magmas were mainly crustal sourced and formed at different depths(clinopyroxene-/amphibole-/garnet-stability fields).The adakite-like suites may have formed by partial melting of the thickened lower crust at 35-40 km(for the Early Ordovician arc)and>40 km(for the Middle-Late Triassic arc)depths.The Early Jurassic Fe-Cu skarn orecausative granitoids show an adakitic-normal arc transitional geochemical affinity.These granitoids were likely formed by partial melting of the juvenile lower crust(35-40 km depth),and subsequently modified by assimilation and fractional crystallization(AFC)processes.In light of the geological,geochronological and geochemical information,we proposed the following tectonometallogenic model for the Duobaoshan orefield.The Ordovician Duobaoshan may have been in a continental arc setting during the subduction of the Paleo-Asian Ocean,and formed the porphyry-related deposits at Duobaoshan,Tongshan and Zhengguang.Subduction may have ceased in the latest Ordovician,and the regional tectonics passed into long subsidence and extension till the latest Carboniferous.This extensional tectonic regime and the Silurian terrestrial-shallow marine sedimentation had likely buried and preserved the Ordovician Duobaoshan magmatic-hydrothermal system.The south-dipping Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean subduction from north of the orefield had generated the Middle-Late Triassic continental arc magmatism and the associated Tongshan PCD and Zhengguang epithermal Au mineralization(which superimposed on the Ordovician PCD system).The Middle Jurassic closure of Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean in the northwestern Amuria block(Erguna terrane),and the accompanying Siberia-Amuria collision,may have placed the Paleo-Pacific subduction system in NE China(including the orefield)under compression,and formed the granodiorite-tonalite and Fe-Cu skarn deposits at Sankuanggou and Xiaoduobaoshan.From the Middle Jurassic,the consecutive accretion of Paleo-Pacific arc terranes(e.g.,Sikhote-Alin and Nadanhada)onto the NE Asian continental margin may have gradually distant the Duobaoshan orefield from the subduction front,and consequently arc-type magmatism and the related mineralization faded.The minor Late Jurassic and Cretaceous unmineralized magmatism in the orefield may have triggered mainly by the far-field extension led by the post-collisional(Siberia-Amuria)gravitational collapse and/or Paleo-Pacific backarc-basin opening.

Deciphering fluid origins in the Paleozoic Laoshankou Fe-Cu-Au deposit, East Junggar: Constraints from noble gases and halogens

To constrain the ore-fluid source(s)of the Laoshankou Fe-Cu-Au deposit(Junggar orogen,NW China),we analyzed the fluid inclusion(FI)noble gas(Ar,Kr and Xe)and halogen(Cl,Br and I)compositions in the hydrothermal epidote and quartz.Four hypogene alteration/mineralization stages,including(I)pre-ore Ca-silicate,(II)early-ore amphibole-epidote-magnetite,(III)late-ore pyrite-chalcopyrite,and(IV)post-ore hydrothermal veining,have been identified at Laoshankou.Stage II FIs have salinity of 15.7 wt.%(NaCl eq.),I/Cl molar ratios of 75×10^(−6)-135×10^(−6),and Br/Cl molar ratios of 1.4×10^(−3)-2.1×10^(−3).The moderately-high seawatercorrected Br*/I ratios(0.5-1.5)and low 40ArE/Cl slope(-10−5)indicate the presence of sedimentary marine pore fluid,which was modified by seawater reacting with the Beitashan Fm.volcanic rocks.Stage III fluid is more saline than their stage II and IV counterparts,reaching up to 23.3 wt.%(NaCl+CaCl2 eq.)close to halite saturation(-26 wt.%).The fluid has I/Cl ratios of 75×10^(−6)-90×10^(−6) and Br/Cl ratios of 1.5×10^(−3)-1.8×10^(−3).Considering the increasing 40ArE/Cl trend toward bittern brine and the higher 36Ar content than air-saturated water(ASW),a bittern fluid source is inferred from seawater evaporation,which was modified by interaction with organic-rich marine sedimentary rocks.Stage IV FIs have lower temperature(110-228°C)and Br/Cl(0.90×10^(−3)-1.2×10^(−3)),but higher 36Ar content than ASW,indicative of dissolved evaporite or halite input.Considering also the lowδDfluid(−114‰to−144‰)andδ18Ofluid(2.1‰-3.5‰)values,meteoric water(with minor dissolved evaporites)likely dominated the stage IV fluid.The evaporites may have formed through continuous evaporation of the stage III surface-derived bittern.Involvement of non-magmatic fluids and different ore-fluid origins in stages II and III suggest that the ore-forming process was different from a typical magmatichydrothermal fluid-dominated skarn mineralization,which was previously proposed for Laoshankou.Our noble gas and halogen study at Laoshankou provide new insights on the fluid sources for the Paleozoic Fe−Cu(−Au)deposits in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt(CAOB),and our non-magmatic fluid source interpretation is consistent with the basin inversion setting for the mineralization.

Ore-Forming Fluids Characteristics and Metallogenesis of the Anjing Hitam Pb-Zn Deposit in Northern Sumatra, Indonesia

The Anjing Hitam Pb-Zn deposit in northern Sumatra(Indonesia) is one of the largest Pb-Zn deposits in the region. The stratiform orebodies are mainly hosted in the middle member of the Carboniferous–Permian Kluet Formation of the Tapanuli Group. Mineral paragenesis and crosscutting relationships suggest a two-stage Pb-Zn mineralization:(I) sedimentary and(Ⅱ) hydrothermal mineralization. Ore-related calcite from both stages Ⅰ and Ⅱ contains mainly liquid-and gas-liquid two-phase-type fluid inclusions(FI). For stage I ore-forming fluids, FI homogenization temperatures(T_h) are 105 to 199 oC, and the salinities are 9.6 wt.% to 16.6 wt.% NaCleqiv, reflecting low temperature and medium-low salinity; whereas in stage Ⅱ, the T_h(206 to 267 oC) and salinity(19.0 wt.% to 22.5 wt.% NaCleqiv) are considerably higher. Fluid inclusion and C-O isotope characteristics suggest that the stage I ore-forming fluids were mainly derived from a mixture of seawater and magmatic fluids(probably from deep-lying plutons), whereas the stage Ⅱ ore-forming fluids were likely magmatic-derived with wall rock input. We propose that the Anjing Hitam deposit was a Carboniferous exhalative sedimentary(SEDEX) deposit overprinted by the Pleistocene vein-style magmatic-hydrothermal mineralization.

Genesis of the Binh Do Pb-Zn Deposit in Northern Vietnam:Evidence from H-O-S-Pb Isotope Geochemistry

The Binh Do Pb-Zn deposit in the Phu Luong region(Thai Nguyen Province,northern Vietnam)is located on the southern margin of the South China Block.The fault-controlled Pb-Zn orebodies are mainly hosted in Upper Paleozoic carbonate formations.In order to reveal the mineralization type and metallogenesis of this deposit,multi-isotopic(S,Pb,H and O)analyses on typical ore and gangue minerals were conducted.The average ore sulfide δ^34 S∑S value is 4.3‰,suggestive of magmatic sulfur.The ore sulfide Pb isotope compositions are homogeneous,with the 206 Pb^204 Pb,207 Pb^204 Pb and 208 Pb^204 Pb values of 18.501 to 18.673,15.707 to 15.798,and 38.911 to 39.428,respectively.Lead isotope model ages of the ore sulfides(240-220 Ma)are consistent with the timing of regional Triassic S-type granite emplacement(250-220 Ma),suggesting that the metals may have been granite-derived.The quartz δDV-SMOW(-82.4‰ to-70.5‰)and δ^18 OH2 O(-0.4‰ to +6.4‰)values suggest that the ore-forming fluids were composed of mixed magmatic and meteoric waters.Combined with the geological features of the Pb-Zn deposit in the region,we propose that the Pb-Zn deposits belong to magmatic-hydrothermal type,rather than MVT-type as previously suggested.The Triassic granites may have contributed the ore-forming material and heat that drove the hydrothermal system.The ore-forming fluids may have migrated into interlayer faults and fractures of the carbonate strata,diluted by subsurface meteoric water and deposited successively the vein-type and stratiform-type Pb-Zn ores.