Textural and compositional variation of mica from the Dexing porphyry Cu deposit:constraints on the behavior of halogens in porphyry systems

The Dexing porphyry deposit is the largest porphyry Cu–Mo–Au deposit in South China.Biotite composition can record the physicochemical conditions and evolution history of magmatic-hydrothermal system.Biotite from the Dexing porphyry deposit could be divided to three types:primary magmatic biotite(Bi-M),hydrothermal altered magmatic biotite(Bi-A)and hydrothermal biotite(Bi-H).The temperature of Bi-M and Bi-H range from 719 to 767℃ and 690 to 727℃,respectively.Both magmatic and hydrothermal biotite have high Fe^(3+)/Fe^(2+)ratios(from 0.18 to 0.24)and XMgvalues(from 0.57 to 0.66),indicating a high oxygen fugacity.BiM has F lower than Bi-A and Bi-H(up to 0.26 wt%),but has Cl(Cl=0.18–0.30 wt%)similar to Bi-A and Bi-H(Cl=0.21–0.35 wt%),suggesting that high Cl/F ratios of early hydrothermal fluid may result from the exsolution from high Cl magma.From potassic alteration zone to phyllic and propylitic alteration zones,Cl decreases with increasing Cu,whereas F increases roughly.Therefore,Cl mostly originate from magma,but enrichment of F possibly results from reaction of fluids and Neoproterozoic strata.Negative correlation between Cl and Cu indicates that Cl might act as an important catalyst during Cu mineralization process.Biotite from Dexing has similar halogen compositions to other porphyry Cu-/Mo deposits in the world.Chlorine contents of hydrothermal fluid may be critical for Cu transportation and enrichment,while consumption of Cl would promote Cu deposition.

Where were the Metal, Sulfur and Water from in the Postcollisional Porphyry Cu Deposit at Qulong in South Tibet?

Objective Most porphyry Cu deposits （PCDs） were formed in association with subduction-related calc-alkaline magmas, which occurred widely in magmatic arcs worldwide. A widely accepted model is that such deposits were formed from hydrothermal fluids exsolved from hydrous, high oxygen fugacity, sulfur-rich arc magmas, derived from a mantle wedge metasomatized by subduction-slab fluids. Recent studies have documented that such deposits may also occur in post-collisional settings, e.g., the Gangdese porphyry Cu belts in Tibet. The formation of such PCDs is very difficult to be explained by the classic PCDs model, which results in an alternative model to be proposed to interpret the genesis of PCDs in such settings. In this alternative model, metals and sulfur of the post-collisional PCDs were generally thought to be derived from a subduction-modified thickened lower crust, rather than a metasomatized mantle wedge. However, our detailed analysis suggests that the sources of metals and sulfur for the PCDs in post-collisional settings still cannot be well explained by the lower-crust melting model.

A Bayesian hierarchical model for the inference between metal grade with reduced variance:Case studies in porphyry Cu deposits

Ore sorting is a preconcentration technology and can dramatically reduce energy and water usage to improve the sustainability and profitability of a mining operation.In porphyry Cu deposits,Cu is the primary target,with ores usually containing secondary‘pay’metals such as Au,Mo and gangue elements such as Fe and As.Due to sensing technology limitations,secondary and deleterious materials vary in correlation type and strength with Cu but cannot be detected simultaneously via magnetic resonance(MR)ore sorting.Inferring the relationships between Cu and other elemental abundances is particularly critical for mineral processing.The variations in metal grade relationships occur due to the transition into different geological domains.This raises two questions-how to define these geological domains and how the metal grade relationship is influenced by these geological domains.In this paper,linear relationship is assumed between Cu grade and other metal grades.We applies a Bayesian hierarchical(partial-pooling)model to quantify the linear relationships between Cu,Au,and Fe grades from geochemical bore core data.The hierarchical model was compared with two other models-‘complete-pooling’model and‘nopooling’model.Mining blocks were split based on spatial domain to construct hierarchical model.Geochemical bore core data records metal grades measured from laboratory assay with spatial coordinates of sample location.Two case studies from different porphyry Cu deposits were used to evaluate the performance of the hierarchical model.Markov chain Monte Carlo(MCMC)was used to sample the posterior parameters.Our results show that the Bayesian hierarchical model dramatically reduced the posterior predictive variance for metal grades regression compared to the no-pooling model.In addition,the posterior inference in the hierarchical model is insensitive to the choice of prior.The data is wellrepresented in the posterior which indicates a robust model.The results show that the spatial domain can be successfully utilised for metal grade regression.Uncertainty in estimating the relationship between pay metals and both secondary and gangue elements is quantified and shown to be reduced with partial-pooling.Thus,the proposed Bayesian hierarchical model can offer a reliable and stable way to monitor the relationship between metal grades for ore sorting and other mineral processing options.

Porphyry Cu deposits linked to episodic growth of an underlying parental magma chamber

Saindak is one of the typical porphyry Cu deposits(PCDs)in the Chagai magmatic arc in Pakistan.Ore-forming porphyries at Saindak PCD are mainly composed of tonalite.Here,we use geochemistry of apatite enclosed in plagioclase phenocrysts from the ore-forming tonalite to constrain the releasing and recharging processes of S and Cl in the underlying parental magma chamber during PCD mineralization.Although apatite inclusions have homogeneous intra-grain S and Cl compositions,there is significant inter-grain S and Cl variations in apatite inclusions located from core to rim in the hosting plagioclase.Such inter-grain S and Cl variation in apatites are coupled with the core-to-rim trends of An,FeO and Mg contents of the hosting plagioclase phenocryst.It indicates that the Saindak PCD likely formed by episodic injection of primitive magmas during the growth of an underlying magma chamber,rather than by one major injection or by addition of mafic melt derived from different source region.Each primitive melt injection introduced essential ore-forming materials such as S and Cl,which were rapidly and effectively released to the coexisting fluids,causing mineralization.Once primitive melt injection stops,signaling the end of growth of underlying magma chamber,mineralization will cease quickly although the hydrothermal system can still survive for a long time.However,the later released fluids are relatively depleted in ore-forming materials,and thus have lower capability to generate mineralization.Accordingly,predominant porphyry-type mineralizations occurred during the growth rather than waning stage of a magmatic system.

Late Jurassic adakitic ore-bearing granodiorite porphyry intrusions in the Xiaokele porphyry Cu(–Mo)deposit,Northeast China:implications for petrogenesis and tectonic setting

The Xiaokele Cu(–Mo)deposit is a recently discovered porphyry deposit in the northern Great Xing’an Range(GXR)of northeast China.The ore bodies in this deposit are mainly hosted within granodiorite porphyry intrusions.Potassic,phyllic,and propylitic alteration zones develop from center to edge.In this paper,we present zircon LA–ICP–MS U–Pb ages,zircon Hf isotopic compositions,and whole-rock geochemistry of the ore-bearing granodiorite porphyries from the Xiaokele Cu(–Mo)deposit.Zircon U–Pb dating suggests that the Xiaokele granodiorite porphyries were emplaced at 148.8±1.1 Ma(weighted-mean age;n=14).The Xiaokele granodiorite porphyries display high SiO2,Al2O3,Sr,and Sr/Y,low K2O/Na2O,MgO,Yb,and Y,belonging to high-SiO2 adakites produced by partial melting of the subducted oceanic slab.Marine sediments were involved in the magma source of the Xiaokele granodiorite porphyries,as indicated by enriched Sr–Nd isotopic compositions(eNd(-t)=-1.17–-0.27),low positive zircon eHf(t)values(0.4–2.2),and high Th contents(4.06–5.20).The adakitic magma subsequently interacted with the mantle peridotites during ascent through the mantle wedge.The Xiaokele granodiorite porphyries were derived from slab melting during the southward subduction of the Mongol–Okhotsk Ocean.

The formation of porphyry copper deposits

Copper is a moderately incompatible chalcophile element.Its behavior is strongly controlled by sulfides.The speciation of sulfur is controlled by oxygen fugacity.Therefore,porphyry Cu deposits are usually oxidized(with oxygen fugacities > AFMQ +2)(Mungall 2002;Sun et al.2015).The problem is that while most of the magmas at convergent margins are highly oxidized,porphyry Cu deposits are very rare,suggesting that high oxygen fugacity alone is not sufficient.Partial melting of mantle peridotite even at very high oxygen fugacities forms arc magmas with initial Cu contents too low to form porphyry Cu deposits directly(Lee et al.2012;Wilkinson 2013).Here we show that partial melting of subducted young oceanic slabs at high oxygen fugacity(>AFMQ +2) may form magmas with initial Cu contents up to >500 ppm,favorable for porphyry mineralization.Pre-enrichment of Cu through sulfide saturation and accumulation is not necessarily beneficial to porphyry Cu mineralization.In contrast,remelting of porphyritic hydrothermal sulfide associated with iron oxides may have major contributions to porphyry deposits.Thick overriding continental crust reduces the "leakage" of hydrothermal fluids,thereby promoting porphyry mineralization.Nevertheless,it is also more difficult for ore forming fluids to penetrate the thick continental crust to reach the depths of 2—4 km where porphyry deposits form.

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.

Metallogenesis and major challenges of porphyry copper systems above subduction zones

Porphyry copper±molybdenum±gold deposits(PCDs) are the most representative magmatic-hydrothermal metallogenic system above subduction zones with important economic value. Previous studies revealed that large PCDs are generally formed from initial arc magmas(from subduction-induced partial melting of the mantle wedge), which eventually ascend to the shallow crust(3–5 km) for mineralization after a series of complex evolution processes. These processes include(1) the dehydration or partial melting of subducting slab, which induces partial melting of the metasomatized mantle wedge;(2)the ascent of mantle-derived magma to the bottom of the lower crust, which subsequently undergoes crustal processes such as assimilation plus fractional crystallization(AFC) or melting, assimilation, storage and homogenization(MASH);(3) the magma chamber formation at the bottom of the lower, middle and upper crust;(4) the final emplacement and volatilization of porphyry stocks;and(5) the accumulation of ore-forming fluids and metal precipitation. Despite the many decades of research, many issues involving the PCD metallogenic mechanism still remain to resolve, such as(1) the tectonic control on the geochemical characteristics of ore-forming magma;(2) the reason for the different lifespans of the long-term magmatic arc evolution and geologically "instantaneous" mineralization processes;(3) the source of ore-forming materials;(4) the relative contributions of metal pre-enrichment to mineralization by the magma source and by magmatic evolution;and(5) the decoupling behaviors of Cu and Au during the pre-enrichment. These issues point out the direction for future PCD metallogenic research, and the resolution to them will deepen our understanding of the metallogenesis at convergent plate boundaries.

Comparative study of big data of global adakites and mineralization-related granite in the Geza arc metallogenic belt, northwest Yunnan, Southwest China

The Geza arc is an important part of the Sanjiang tectono-magmatic belt and is a newly discovered copper polymetallic ore concentration area in northwest Yunnan province,Southwest China.The area comprises numerous metal ore deposits,including one super-largedeposit,three large deposits,etc.The formation of these deposits was closely related to intermediate–acidic magmatic intrusions.Based on previous studies,the“big data”analysis technique was used for a comparative study of large geochemical datasets of granite related to ore-formation in the Geza porphyry copper deposit and global adakites.As a result,1313 element combinations and 127,765 overlap ratios were obtained.The results show that the Geza porphyry has similar geochemical characteristics to global adakites(the ratios of REE and Ga to major elements are in the range of global adakites).However,theCu,Mo,and Zn contents of the porphyry are significantly higher than those of global adakites,and the porphyry may,therefore,represent an end-member of the global range of adakite composition.In addition,the geochemistry of adakites associated with the porphyry copper deposits overlaps in part with that of global adakites,although most of the data lie outside of the range of global adakites(i.e.lowMn/Cu,Sr/Cu,Na/Cu,and Zr/Cu values,and high Th/Cu,Ba/Cu,Na/Mo,Rb/Mo,Th/Mo,Ta/Mo,Ba/Mo,Mn/Zn,and Ba/Znvalues).The samples with characteristics that deviate significantly from the geochemistry of global adakites show more advanced mineralization and alteration,and a stronger relationship with Cu and Momineralization.The results of geochemical data mining can be used as a prospecting indicator,and provide a new scientific basis for geological prospecting of the deep levels and per-iphery of the Geza Cu polymetallic ore belt.