Evolution of the magmatic–hydrothermal system and formation of the giant Zhuxi W–Cu deposit in South China

The Zhuxi deposit is a recently discovered W–Cu deposit located in the Jiangnan porphyry–skarn W belt in South China. The deposit has a resource of 3.44 million tonnes of WO3, making it the largest on Earth,however its origin and the evolution of its magmatic–hydrothermal system remain unclear, largely because alteration–mineralization types in this giant deposit have been less well-studied, apart from a study of the calcic skarn orebodies. The different types of mineralization can be classified into magnesian skarn, calcic skarn, and scheelite–quartz–muscovite(SQM) vein types. Field investigations and mineralogical analyses show that the magnesian skarn hosted by dolomitic limestone is characterized by garnet of the grossular–pyralspite(pyrope, almandine, and spessartine) series, diopside, serpentine,and Mg-rich chlorite. The calcic skarn hosted by limestone is characterized by garnet of the grossular–andradite series, hedenbergite, wollastonite, epidote, and Fe-rich chlorite. The SQM veins host highgrade W–Cu mineralization and have overprinted the magnesian and calcic skarn orebodies. Scheelite is intergrown with hydrous silicates in the retrograde skarn, or occurs with quartz, chalcopyrite, sulfide minerals, fluorite, and muscovite in the SQM veins.Fluid inclusion investigations of the gangue and ore minerals revealed the evolution of the ore-forming fluids, which involved:(1) melt and coexisting high–moderate-salinity, high-temperature, high-pressure(>450 ℃and >1.68 kbar), methane-bearing aqueous fluids that were trapped in prograde skarn minerals;(2) moderate–low-salinity, moderate-temperature, moderate-pressure(~210–300 ℃and ~0.64 kbar),methane-rich aqueous fluids that formed the retrograde skarn-type W orebodies;(3) low-salinity,moderate–low-temperature, moderate-pressure(~150–240 ℃and ~0.56 kbar), methane-rich aqueous fluids that formed the quartz–sulfide Cu(–W) orebodies in skarn;(4) moderate–low-salinity,moderate-temperature, low-pressure(~150–250 ℃and ~0.34 kbar) alkanes-dominated aqueous fluids in the SQM vein stage, which led to the formation of high-grade W–Cu orebodies. The S–Pb isotopic compositions of the sulfides suggest that the ore-forming materials were mainly derived from magma generated by crustal anatexis, with minor addition of a mantle component. The H–O isotopic compositions of quartz and scheelite indicate that the ore-forming fluids originated mainly from magmatic water with later addition of meteoric water. The C–O isotopic compositions of calcite indicate that the ore-forming fluid was originally derived from granitic magma, and then mixed with reduced fluid exsolved from local carbonate strata. Depressurization and resultant fluid boiling were key to precipitation of W in the retrograde skarn stage. Mixing of residual fluid with meteoric water led to a decrease in fluid salinity and Cu(–W) mineralization in the quartz–sulfide stage in skarn. The high-grade W–Cu mineralization in the SQM veins formed by multiple mechanisms, including fracturing, and fluid immiscibility, boiling, and mixing.

新疆祁漫塔格地区阿尼亚拉克钨铜矿成矿地质特征及找矿意义

新疆阿尼亚拉克钨铜矿区位于柴达木微板块之祁漫塔格古生代复合沟弧带,该带为W-Sn-Pb-Zn-Fe-Cu-多金属矿带。矿床的赋矿地层为蓟县系狼牙山组和青白口系丘吉东沟组碎屑岩碳酸盐岩建造,含矿岩性一为条带状绿帘石透辉石矽卡岩及矽卡岩化大理岩;另一种为条带状云英岩化变石英砂岩和变粉砂岩。矿体主要受地层和侵入体接触带的控制,形态多呈层状、透镜状和脉状。围岩蚀变主要有矽卡岩化(包括石榴子石化、透辉石化、透闪石化、阳起石化、符山石化、硅灰石化、绿帘石化)、云英岩化、硅化、黄铁矿化等。阿尼亚拉克钨铜矿是以蓟县系狼牙山组和青白口系丘吉东沟组为赋矿岩系,以印支晚期二长花岗岩为热动力源,且受岩体与灰岩接触带和近EW向层间构造破碎带控制的岩浆中高温热液交代充填矽卡岩云英岩型钨铜矿床。阿尼亚拉克钨铜矿床的发现对祁漫塔格地区钨锡、铅锌、铁、金铜成矿远景区的地质找矿具有重要意义。

A study on the Dushiling tungsten-copper deposit in the Miao＇ershan-Yuechengling area, Northern Guangxi, China：Implications for variations in the mineralization of multi-aged composite granite plutons

The polymetallic Dushiling W-Cu deposit is a large, altered, skarn-type deposit, located in the northeastern part of the Miao'ershan-Yuechengling pluton, China. Two types of granite have been identified in the deposit: a medium-grained porphyritic biotite granite, and a medium- to fine-grained biotite granite. Both are spatially and temporally related to ore bodies, suggesting they may be the source of mineralization in the deposit. A medium- to fine-grained porphyritic biotite granite is exposed at the surface in the region of mineralization. U-Pb dating of zircons yielded magmatic ages of 423 Ma for the medium-grained porphyritic biotite granite and 421 Ma for the medium- to fine-grained porphyritic biotite granite, while a younger age(217 Ma) obtained for surface samples indicates later diagenesis. Thus, magmatism occurred during the Caledonian and Indosinian, respectively. The petrological and geochemical characteristics of the two Caledonian granites show that both are calc-alkaline and peraluminous.They are moderately enriched in Cs, Rb, U, and REE, and strongly depleted in Sr,Ba,P,and Ti; they show similar REE behavior,including negative Eu anomalies. These geochemical similarities suggest that the two granites were derived from the same source,although they were emplaced during different stages of the evolution of the magma. Furthermore, the granites are associated with mineralization, suggesting they were the source of mineralization in the Dushiling W-Cu deposit. Sm-Nd ages of scheelite from the Dushiling W-Cu deposit indicate that metallogenesis occurred at 417±35 Ma, while the two types of titanite, intergrown with scheelite, yield U-Pb ages of 423–425 Ma(in altered granite sample) and 218 Ma(in skarn sample). These ages place the main mineralization event in the late Caledonian, and later magmatic-hydrothermal activity occurred in the Indosinian. The ages obtained for the Dushiling W-Cu deposit in the western Nanling Range, northern Yuechengling, together with the occurrence and ages of the Niutangjie W deposit in southern Yuechengling, provide insight into the process of ore concentration during the Caledonian and Indosinian.