Helium and argon isotope geochemistry of the Tibetan Qulong porphyry Cu-Mo deposit,China

The Qulong porphyry Cu-Mo deposit,generated in the Miocene post-collisional extension environment of the Gangdese Copper(Molybdenum)Metallogenic Belt,is one of the largest porphyry Cu deposits in China.This study reports the noble gas isotopic compositions of volatiles released from fluid inclusion reserved in pyrite from the Qulong deposit.3He/4 He and 40Ar/36Ar ratios range from 0.54 to 1.015 Ra and 300-359,respectively.Concentrations of 4 He and 40Ar range from 1.77 to 2.62×10^(-8)cm^(3)STP and 1.7-34×10^(-8)cm^(3)STP,respectively.The isotopic composition of noble gases indicates that the ore-forming fluids of the Qulong Cu-Mo deposit were a mixture of fluid containing mantle component,which is exsolved from the porphyry magma,and crustal fluid characterized by atmospheric Ar and crustal radiogenic He.Theδ34S values of pyrite and molybdenite range from-0.52‰to 0.31‰,with an average of-0.12‰,indicating a magmatic origin.More mantle components were involved in the Cu-Mo deposit than in the Mo-Cu deposit in the Qulong-Jiama ore-district.

He–Ar Isotopic Tracing of Pyrite from Ore-forming Fluids of the Sanshandao Au Deposit, Jiaodong Area

The Sanshandao Au deposit is located in the famous Sanshandao metallogenic belt,Jiaodong area.To date,accumulative Au resources of 1000 t have been identified from the belt.Sanshandao is a world-class gold deposit with Au mineralization hosted in Early Cretaceous Guojialing-type granites.Thus,studies on the genesis and ore-forming element sources of the Sanshandao Au deposit are crucial.He and Ar isotopic analyses of fluid inclusions from pyrite(the carrier of Au)indicate that the fluid inclusions have 3 He/4 He=0.043–0.21 Ra with an average of 0.096 Ra and 40 Ar/36 Ar=488–664 with an average of 570.8.These values represent the initial He and Ar isotopic compositions of ore-forming fluids for trapped fluid inclusions.The comparison of H–O isotopic characteristics combined with deposit geology and wall rock alteration reveals that the ore-forming fluids of the Sanshandao Au deposit show mixed crust–mantle origin characteristics,and they mainly comprise crust-derived fluid mixed with minor mantle-derived fluid and meteoric water during the uprising process.The ore-forming elements were generally sourced from pre-Cambrian meta-basement rocks formed by Mesozoic reactivation and mixed with minor shallow crustal and mantle components.

Geochemical characteristics of noble gases in natural gas and their application in tracing natural gas migration in the middle part of the western Sichuan Depression, China

Noble gases in natural gas, from Xiaoquan, Xinchang, Hexingchang and Fenggu gas reservoirs in the middle part of the western Sichuan Depression, China, were analysed. Results show that the volume content of crustal noble gases accounts for 97.9% to 99.7% of the total noble gas content, indicating that the noble gases in the study area are very largely derived from the crust. Moreover, the 40Ar time-accumulating effect of source rocks is used to determine the complex relationship between gases and source rocks in this area, and the results agree well with that from analysis of source rock light hydrocarbons. Due to the short migration distance, the separation of 4He and 40Ar is not significant in Xujiahe natural gas and Lower and Middle Jurassic natural gas, so it is difficult to trace natural gas migration. However, this separation characteristic of 4He and 40Ar in Middle and Upper Jurassic natural gas is significant, which indicates that natural gas migration was from the Middle Jurassic to Upper Jurassic formations. In addition, the variation trends of 3He/4He ratio and δ13C1 value indicates that natural gas migration is from the Xujiahe formation to the Jurassic layer in the study area.