Application of Bi-dimensional empirical mode decomposition (BEMD) modeling for extracting gravity anomaly indicating the ore-controlling geological architectures and granites in the Gejiu tin-copper polymetallic ore field, southwestern China

Abstract

The Gejiu tin-copper polymetallic ore field, located at the westernmost end of the Cathaysia Block in South China, is one of the largest tin polymetallic ore fields in the world. It is associated with magmatic-hydrothermal ore-forming processes triggered by deeply seated structures and concealed granites. The Bi-dimensional empirical mode decomposition (BEMD) was used to decompose gravity data covering an area including the Gejiu tin-copper polymetallic ore field in the west and the Bozhushan silver-lead-zinc polymetallic ore field in the east, which yielded three two-dimensional intrinsic mode function (BIMFs) images and one residue (Res(m, n)) image that depict four layers of geological architectures at different wavelengths within the study area. The high-pass filtered gravity component image (BIMF1) is interpreted to depict the shallow geological architecture, which indicates that the skarn alteration and tin-copper mineralization with positive gravity anomalies are distributed around the granites characterized by negative gravity anomalies. The band-pass filtered gravity component image (BIMF2) is interpreted to depict the middle-shallow geological architecture, which indicates that the outcropped granites in the western Gejiu ore field bounded by the Gejiu fault may extend to the eastern Gejiu ore field to form one integrated granitic complex in the subsurface. The other band-pass filtered gravity component image (BIMF3) is interpreted to depict the middle-lower geological architecture, which indicates that there may be an EW-trending granite zone with negative gravity anomaly at middle-lower depth connecting the Gejiu tin-copper polymetallic field to the Bozhushan silver-lead-zinc polymetallic field, displaying the existence of an EW-trending regional polymetallic ore-forming zone within the study area. The low-pass filtered gravity component image (Res(m, n)) is interpreted to depict the lowest geological architecture within the study area, which reflects that there may be a pair of the NW-trending uplift zone of the mantle and/or the basement with positive gravity anomaly and the depression zone of the mantle and/or the basement with negative gravity anomaly. The Gejiu tin-copper polymetallic deposits and the related granites are located at the transitional zone between the uplift and depression, whereas the Bozhushan silver-lead-zinc polymetallic deposits and the related granites are situated within the depression zone, which implies that the diversity of the Late Yanshanian granites and the related polymetallic deposits in the study area may be controlled by the complexity of the crust-mantle interaction at depth.