^(40)Ar/^(39)Ar Dating of the Shaxi Porphyry Cu-Au Deposit in the Southern Tan-Lu Fault Zone, Anhui Province

Four samples of plagioclase and biotite from the Shaxi porphyry in the lower part of the Yangtze metallogenic belt were analyzed for age determination with the ^40 Ar/^39Ar method. The results yield reproducible ages of 126 Ma to 135 Ma with a high level of confidence according to the agreement between isochron and plateau ages. The four Ar-Ar ages are relatively consistent within the analytical error. These ages are also consistent with, but more precise than, previous K-Ar and Rb-Sr ages and thus provide better constraints on the time of porphyry formation and associated Cu-Au mineralization along the middle to lower part of the Yangtze metallogenic belt. The ages of 126 to 135 Ma are interpreted to represent the intrusive time of the Shaxi porphyry, so that the Cu-Au mineralization should have occurred later due to the post-magmatic hydrothermal event.

Geological, Alteration and Mineralization Characteristics of Ali Javad Porphyry Cu-Au Deposit, Arasbaran Zone, NW Iran

Ali Javad porphyry Cu-Au deposit is located 20 Km north of Ahar city in Arasbaran metallogenic zone which is considered as a part of Alp-Himalayan mineralization belt. Magmatism in this area began in Late Cretaceous, followed by extensive magmatism in Cenozoic and Quaternary periods. Porphyry type mineralization developed in Ali Javad quartz monzonitic porphyry stock and Eocene pyroclastic and volcanic country rocks. Ali Javad porphyry intrusion has shoshonitic nature and shows characteristics of volcanic arc granitoids that it is have been emplaced in a post-collision tectonic setting. Alteration zones at the deposit demonstrated zoning which is comparable with Lowel-Guilbert model proposed for quartz-monzonite type porphyry copper deposits. Phyllic, argillic, silicic and propylitic alteration zones were observed at the surface while potassic alteration zone could be observed at depth in drill core samples. Mineralization was recognized both as supergene and hypogene, the latter was as veins, veinlets and disseminations. Dominant hypogene minerals were chalcopyrite, bornite, molybdenite, pyrite and magnetite while chalcocite, covellite and limonite were dominant supergene minerals. Four mineralization zones were observed in the deposit as leached, transitional, supergene and hypogene zones. Average grades were 0.75% for copper and 1.86 ppm for gold with 81.5 Mt proved reserve for copper and 37.8 Mt for gold.

Study on Shaxi porphyry copper-gold deposit in Anhui:gold mineralization and occurrence determination by PIXE

Shaxi porphyry Cu-Au deposit was one of the important discoveries of the exploration in the middle-lower reaches of Yangtze River in China in 1970s. Gold occurrence in the Shaxi porphyry copper-gold deposit (central (Anhui) province, eastern China) was investigated by means of microscope analyses, EPMA and PIXE. Combined with geological and mineralogical methods, the characteristics of occurrence of gold in the large scale sulfide mineralization in this region were fully investigated. The results show that gold distributes in both chalcopyrite and pyrite as submicroscopic inclusions (less than 1 μm) . Au is positively correlated with As, Fe, S, Cu, Zn and Ti. The condition of gold transformation in thermal fluid system controlling deposition of Au in the region is probably the oxidation potential of the red sedimentary rocks of shale and fine grain sandstone which may be crucial as a geochemical barrier to the reducing fluid. This study lays foundation for the further research and exploration of the porphyry copper-gold deposit both theoretically and practically in the lower reaches of Yangtze region.

Alunite spectral features and mineral chemistry of the ZijinshanDafanshan lithocap in SE China:Implications for mineral exploration

Lithocaps are composed of silicic and advanced argillic altered rocks,and represent an important target for porphyry-epithermal Cu-Au exploration.Previous studies showed that integrating alunite spectral and composition with lithocap whole-rock geochemistry can effectively aid exploration for concealed Cu-Au mineralization.The Zijinshan Cu-Au and Dafanshan alunite deposits are located in the Coastal Volcanic Belt in SE China,where alunite is an indicator of hypogene mineralization and alteration.Detailed mineralogical studies of alunite from these two deposits were performed with short-wavelength infrared spectroscopy(SWIR),whole-rock geochemistry and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(LA-ICP-MS).For Zijinshan,wavelength variation of the SWIR alunite absorption peak at 1480 nm is proportional to the whole-rock Na/(Na+K)molar ratio of alunitebearing samples.Different percentage of alunite and mineral assemblages in the lithocap samples would both affect the wavelength of the SWIR alunite absorption peak at1480 nm.We suggest that the alunite Ba-Bi contents and the whole-rock Nb/La value(of alunite-bearing rocks)are reliable vectoring tools for detecting magmatic-hydrothermal mineralization center in the district.Comparing the alunite SWIR spectral and mineral geochemical features and whole-rock geochemistry of alunite-bearing rocks between the Zijinshan and Dafanshan deposits,Au–Ag mineralization may be concealed at depth in northwestern Dafanshan.

Geochemistry and genesis of the Nadun Nb-enriched arc basalt in the Duolong mineral district,western Tibet:Indication of ridge subduction

The Duolong mineral district in western Tibet is one of the largest porphyry Cu–Au deposit fields with significant metallogenic potential in China.Its tectonic environment relevant to Early Cretaceous Cu–Au mineralization remains controversial.Here we report new whole-rock major and trace element,and Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotopic data for the newly discovered basalt in the Nadun area,Duolong mineral district,to decipher their genesis and further constrain the tectonic environment.A contemporaneous rhyolite sample interbedded with the basalt in the lower part of the volcanic section in the Nadun area yields an LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb age of 122.5±1.2 Ma.The basalt samples exhibit high-K calc-alkaline/shoshonite properties and are enriched in high field strength elements,e.g.,high Ti O_(2)(1.43–1.79 wt.%)and Nb(14.6–19.5 ppm)contents,with high Nb/La ratios(0.4–0.6),which are compositionally comparable to those of Nb-enriched arc basalts(NEABs).The(^(87) Sr/^(86) Sr)iratios of 0.7052 to 0.7056,negative eNd(t)(-0.7 to-0.2)and eHf(t)values(+6.0 to+6.5),and high(^(206) Pb/^(204)Pb)i,(^(207) Pb/^(204)Pb)i,(^(208) Pb/^(204)Pb)iand ratios(18.522 to 18.561,15.641 to 15.645 and 38.679 to 38.730,respectively)suggest that the Nadun NEABs are more enriched than those of the island arc basalts(IABs)in the area.The slightly enriched radiogenic isotopes for the Nadun NEABs indicate that the subducting sediments play an important role in the source.Furthermore,their high Nb,Ti,and Cu contents indicate that the source mantle wedge was metasomatized by slab melts.The Nadun NEAB and other coeval magmatic rocks in the Duolong mineral district,including adakite,OIB-like basalt,MORB-type basalt,A-type rhyolite,and common IAB,are typical rock assemblages of ridge subduction.We infer that the Duolong mineral district were formed by ridge subduction in the Early Cretaceous.

Geochronology and Geochemistry of the Granites from the Longtoushan Hydrothermal Gold Deposit in the Dayaoshan Area,Guangxi:Implication for Petrogenesis and Mineralization

The gold mineralization in the Longtoushan hydrothermal gold deposit is concentrated within the contact zone of the granitic complex. Whole rock geochemistry and in-situ U-Pb and Hf isotopic data were used to constrain the genesis and age of the granites and related Cu-Au mineralization in the Longtoushan Deposit. The granites mainly consist of the granite porphyry, rhyolite porphyry, porphyritic granite and quartz porphyry. LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating of zircons from the granite porphyry, rhyolite porphyry and quartz porphyry indicates that they intruded from ca. 94 to 97 Ma. These intrusions exhibit similar trace element characteristics, i.e., right-dipping REE patterns, depletion of Ba, Sr, P and Ti, and enrichment of Th, U, Nd, Zr and Hf. The εHf(t) values of zircons from the granite porphyry, rhyolite porphyry and quartz porphyry range from-26.81 to-8.19,-8.12 to-5.33, and-8.99 to-5.83, respectively, suggesting that they were mainly derived from the partial melting of the Proterozoic crust. The Cu-Au mineralization is mainly related to the rhyolite porphyry and porphyritic granite, respectively. The Longtoushan granites were most likely formed in a post-collisional extensional environment, and the deposit is a part of the Late Yanshanian magmatism related mineralization in the Dayaoshan area and its adjacent areas.

Ridge subduction and porphyry copper-gold mineralization:An overview

Many large porphyry Cu-Au deposits are connected to adakitic rocks known to be closely associated with ridge subduction. For example, there are several subducting ridges along the east Pacific margin, e.g., in Chile, Peru, and South America, most of which are associated with large porphyry Cu-Au deposits. In contrast, there are much fewer ridge subductions on the west Pacific margin and porphyry Cu-Au deposits are much less there, both in terms of tonnage and the number of deposits. Given that Cu and Au are moderately incompatible elements, oceanic crust has much higher Cu-Au concentrations than the mantle and the continental crust, and thus slab melts with their diagnostic adakitic chemistry have systematically higher Cu and Au, which is favorable for mineralization. Considering the geotherm of subducting slabs in the Phanerozoic, ridge subduction is the most favorable tectonic setting for this. Therefore, slab melting is the likely link in the spatial association between ridge subduction and Cu-Au deposits. Geochemical signatures of slab melting and hence maybe ridge subduction in less eroded regions in eastern China, the central Asian orogenic belt etc. may indicate important exploration targets for large porphyry Cu-Au deposits.