Fluid Inclusions and Isotope Geochemistry of the Emba Derho and the Debarwa VMS Deposits, Asmara District, Eritrea

Objective Recent exploration indicates several localities with significant gold, copper, and zinc resource potential in the Asmara district, Eritrea, including the Emba Derho and Debarwa volcanic-associated massive sulfide deposits. These deposits are hosted by the Neoproterozoic metamorphic volcanic rocks of Asmara green stone belt, which strike NNW-SSE and are 200 km long and 5-20 km wide, and the mineralization is often associated with the altered and deformed rocks. The Emba Derho deposit, located 12 km northwest of Asmara （Fig. la）, the capital of Eritrea, is the largest Cu-Zn-Au VMS deposit in the Asmara metallogeny belt. It is estimated that the Emba Derho deposit of the Asmara project contains total reserves of 49.8~106 tons of copper ores and 16.8~106 tons of zinc ores. The gold grade of this deposit is about 0.3 lg/t. The Debarwa deposit, situated 26 km southwest of Asmara, has similar ore features with the Emba Derho deposit.

Comparative Study of Gacun and Youre Silver–Lead–Zinc–Copper Deposits in Sichuan, SW China, and their Mineralization Significance

The large Gacun silver-lead-zinc-copper deposit in Sichuan Province is one of the largest volcanogenic massive sulfide （VMS） deposits in China. The deposit consists of western and central ore bodies, which form a vein-stockwork mineralization system corresponding to hydrothermal channels, and eastern ore bodies, which form an exhalative chemical sedimentary system derived from a brine pool in a submarine basin. The Youre lead-zinc deposit, which is currently under exploration and lies adjacent to the southern part of the Gacun deposit, is characterized by intense silicification and vein- stockwork structures and consists of massive silicified rhyolitic volcanics, banded rhyolitic tuff, and phyllitic sericite tuff. From a comparison of their ore-bearing horizons, the Gacun and Youre deposits have a continuous and stable hanging wall （calcareous slate and overlying andesite） and foot wall （rhyolite-dacite breccia and agglomerate）, and the Uthologic sequence includes lower intermediate to felsic rocks and upper felsic rocks. Thus, the Youre deposit, which comprises relatively thinly layered low-grade ore, is regarded as forming a southward extension of the Gacun deposit. A further comparison of the structures of the ore-bearing belts between the two deposits suggests that the Youre ore bodies are similar to the western ore bodies of the Gacun deposit. Moreover, the characteristics of fluid inclusions and stable isotopes in the Youre deposit are also similar to those of the western ore bodies of the Gacun deposit. Genetic models of the deposits are proposed for the Gacun-Youre ore district, and massive concealed ore bodies may occcur in the Youre deposit at depths that are similar to those of the eastern ore bodies of the Gacun deposit.

Double Convective Hydrothermal System beneath Massive Sulfide Orebody in Gacun Deposit,Southwestern China

The Gacun Kuroko-type deposit, Southwestern China, is hosted in rhyolitic rocks associated with the underlying mafic rocks occurred in the - 1000 m deep fault - bounded basin within the intra -arc rifting zone which formed on the Triassic Yidun island - arc. Two vertically separated alteration systems are recognized: one is conformable or semiconformable alteration zone developed in - 150 m thick mafic unit 1-1.5 km below the massive sulfide ore body; the other is discordant alteration pipe directly surrounded around stockwork ore within rhyolitic unit. The lower conformable alteration zone extending for several kilometers along strike is characterized by silicification and epidotization which result in the development of quartz vein and quartz-epidote vein systems in mafic lava flows and replacement of primary minerals and groundmass in spilitized mafic volcanics and dikes by quartz, epidote - group minerals and sodic plagioclase. Sulfides often occur in the vein system and altered mafic volcanics. Quartz solubility relation indicates that silicification is a consequence of interaction of Si- saturated fluids with mafic rocks in a higher temperature system (T>340℃), intensifying by intrusion of mafic dike or high-level acidic magma chamber. The alteration pipe of diameter about 2 km shows a similar mineralogical zoning to Kuroko deposits of Japan. The sequence is quartz + hyalophane; sericite + chlorite + quartz and zeolite-like zones from core to margins of the pipe. The chlorite core only occurs in the root part of the alteration pipe and downwards transfers into epidote - chlorite and epidote - quartz vein swarm extending 500 m downwards. The felsic rocks away from the orebody and alteration pipe took place district-scale alteration, which has typical low-temperature mineral association: illite + albite + quartz + calcite. Whole -rock and quartz δ18O values indicate that district - scale alteration is a result of interaction of seawater with rocks at lower temperature (T<200℃)under water-dominated condition. However, the altered rocks from the pipe show remarkably δ18O enrichment, and bulk -rock δ18O values decreased gradually toward stockwork orebody from 15.1‰-l5. 75‰ in zeolite-like zone and 12. 05‰-14. 2‰ in sericite - quartz zone to 11.3 ‰ - 14. 4‰ in quartz - hyalophane zone. The filled temperatures of fluid inclusions in quartz and sphalerite lie in the ranges of 280 -320 ℃ for quartz - hyalophane zone and 250 ℃ to 297 ℃ for sericite-quartz zone. The estimated δ18O values of hydrothermal fluids are 7. 98‰ and3.2‰, respectively, based on quartz δ18O data in the deposit. The lower conformable alteration is considered to be approximately coeval with the alteration pipe, based on the SiO2 concentration in the fluids, which restrict the main fluid - rock reaction zone to be located in mafic horizon by quartz barometer, and metal element flux calculation and sulfide - epidote vein system developed both in alteration systems. High - salinity fluid inclusions in gangue quartz (>8% eq. NaCl) from stockwork ore and in quartz phenocryst (>40% eq. NaCl) in footwall rhyolite strongly suggest the existence of hot-saline brine to react with mafic complex and leach metal components, which probably originates mainly from magmatic fluid derived from high-level acidic magma chamber. The brine layer located in mafic unit possibly heats and drives the overlying single -pass convective seawater reacting with felsic rocks. The 'density window' may be expected to occur on the interface between seawater and brine layer, when the brine becomes to be gravitationally instability by the turbulent entrainment of seawater during magmatic and/or tectonic activities. The sulfide mineralization and alteration pipe is inter preted as an effect of the 'density window' through which the mixed fluids of brine with seawater adiabatically discharges upwards.

Geochronology and Geochemistry of the Early Paleozoic Ore-host Volcanic Sequence in the Kalatag Area,East Tianshan,NW China:Implications for the Tectonic Evolution

The East Tianshan contains many late Paleozoic magmatic and polymetallic deposits.Recent studies demonstrate that the early Paleozoic volcanic rocks discovered in the northern region of East Tianshan can be subdivided into the Daliugou,Hongliuxia and Kalatag formations.Here,we report zircon U-Pb ages of volcanic rocks and quartz diorite porphyry,together with whole-rock geochemical and Sr-Nd isotope data of early Paleozoic volcanic rocks,in order to investigate their petrogenesis and geodynamic setting.Zircon U-Pb analyses of the rocks suggest that the Kalatag Formation formed at ca.438-413 Ma.Geochemical characteristics of the early Paleozoic volcanic rocks exhibit typical subduction-related features.They have high Mg^(#)(44-75),positiveε_(Nd)(t)values(0.25-7.88),low^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr ratios(0.70457 to 0.70588)and young two-stage Hf isotope model ages(551-446 Ma),consistent with a depleted mantle origin with limited crustal contamination.The basaltic andesite and andesite have relatively high MgO contents(6.1-9.4 wt%),suggesting that they belong to high-magnesian andesites.They were most likely derived from the partial melting of mantle peridotite caused by the addition of fluids released by subducted oceanic slab.Based on regional geology,geochemical characteristics and previous studies,we infer that the southward subduction of the Junggar Ocean slab resulted in the generation of early Paleozoic volcanic rocks and arc setting-related metallogenic systems in the Kalatag area.

A tale of elemental accumulation and recycling in the metamorphosed Keketale VMS-type Pb-Zn deposit,Altai Mountains

The elemental accumulation and recycling in the metamorphosed Keketale VMS-type Pb-Zn deposit of the Altai Mountains are presented in this study.Based on detailed fieldwork and microscopic observation,the formation of the deposit involved syngenetic massive sulfide mineralization and epigenetic superim-posed mineralization.Different generations of iron sulfides(i.e.,pyrite and pyrrhotite)with contrasting textural,elemental,and sulfur isotopic features were generated in primary mineralization(including hydrothermal iron sulfides,colloform pyrite)and secondary modification(including annealed iron sul-fides,oriented iron sulfides,and vein-pyrite).It is revealed that the spatial variation in textures and ele-ments of hydrothermal iron sulfides depends on the inhomogeneous fluid compositions and varied environment in VMS hydrothermal system.Both leached sulfur from the footwall volcanic rocks and reduced sulfur by the TSR process are regarded as important sulfur sources.Furthermore,large sulfur iso-topic fractionation and negativeδ^(34)S values were mainly caused by varied oxygen fugacity,and to a lesser extent,temperature fluctuation.The epigenetic polymetallic veins that contain sulfides and sulfosalts(e.g.,jordanite-geocronite,bournonite-seligmannite,boulangerite)were considered as the products of metamorphic fluid scavenged the metal-rich strata.All things considered,it is indicated that two epi-sodes of fluid with distinct origins were essential for the formation of the deposit.The predominant evolved seawater along with subordinate magmatic fluid mobilized metals from volcanic rocks and pre-cipitated massive sulfides near the seafloor are vital for primary mineralization.The metamorphic fluid remobilized metals(i.e.,FMEs:fluid mobile elements,e.g.,Pb,As,Sb)from neighboring volcanic and pyroclastic rocks and destabilized them within the fractured zone are responsible for secondary miner-alization,which enhances the economic value of the deposit.Accordingly,metal-rich Devonian strata had been successively swept by different origins of fluid,leading to progressively elemental enrichment and the formation of a large deposit.Furthermore,the current study enlightens that FME-bearing veins with economic benefits can be discovered near the metamorphosed VMS deposits.

Delineation of Geochemical Anomalies Based on Cu by the Boxplot as an Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) Method and Concentration-Volume (C-V) Fractal Modeling in Mesgaran Mining Area, Eastern Iran

The target in this investigation is separation and delineation of geochemical anomalies for the single element Cu in Mesgaran mining area, eastern Iran. Mesgaran mining area is located in south part of Sarbishe county with about 29 Km distance to the county center. This region is part of an Ophiolite sequence and the copper anomalies seem to be related to a volcanic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit whose main part (massive sulfide Lens) has been eroded. In order to delineate Cu anomalies, the boxplot as an Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) method and concentration-volume (C-V) Fractal modeling are employed. Both of the methods reveal low-deep anomalies which are highly correlated with geological and geophysical studies. As the main result of this study we show that Fractal modeling in spite of the Boxplot, is not recommended for complex geological settings. The proved shallow anomalies recorded by geophysical studies and defined by the used methods are in accordance to the stringer zone of a volcanic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit in Mesgaran mining area which means this region is the bottom of a VMS deposit and geochemical anomalies are related to the remained parts of the deposit.