Chemical Composition of Rock‐Forming Minerals in Copper–Gold‐Bearing Tonalite Porphyries at the Batu Hijau Deposit, Sumbawa Island, Indonesia: Implications for Crystallization Conditions and Fluorine–Chlorine Fugacity

Abstract

AbstractCopper–gold mineralization at the world‐class Batu Hijau porphyry deposit, Sumbawa Island, Indonesia, is closely related to the emplacement of multiple stages of tonalite porphyries. Petrographic examination indicates that at least two texturally distinct types of tonalite porphyries are currently recognized in the deposit, which are designated as “intermediate tonalite” and “young tonalite”. They are mineralogically identical, consisting of phenocrysts of plagioclase, hornblende, quartz, biotite and magnetite ± ilmenite, which are set in a medium‐coarse grained groundmass of plagioclase and quartz. The chemical composition of the rock‐forming minerals, including plagioclase, hornblende, biotite, magnetite and ilmenite in the tonalite porphyries was systematically analyzed by electron microprobe. The chemical data of these minerals were used to constrain the crystallization conditions and fluorine–chlorine fugacity of the corresponding tonalitic magma during its emplacement and crystallization. The crystallization conditions, including temperature (T), pressure (P) and oxygen fugacity (fO2), were calculated by applying the hornblende–plagioclase and magnetite–ilmenite thermometers and the Al‐in‐hornblende barometer. The thermobarometric data indicate that the tonalite porphyries were emplaced at 764 ± 22°C and 1.5 ± 0.3 × 105 kPa. If the pressure is assumed to be lithostatic, it is interpreted that the rim of hornblende and plagioclase phenocrysts crystallized at depths of approximately 5.5 km. As estimated from magnetite–ilmenite thermometry, the subsolidus conditions of the tonalite intrusion occurred at temperatures of 540–590°C and log fO2 ranging from −20 to −15 (between Ni‐NiO and hematite–magnetite buffers). This occurred at relatively high fO2 (oxidizing) condition. The fluorine–chlorine fugacity in the magma during crystallization was determined on the basis of the chemical composition of magmatic biotite. The calculation indicates that the fluorine–chlorine fugacity, represented by log (fH2O)/(fHF) and (fH2O)/(fHCl) in the corresponding tonalitic magma range from 4.31 to 4.63 and 3.62 to 3.79, respectively. The chlorine fugacity (HCl) to water (H2O) is relatively higher than the fluorine fugacity (HF to water), reflecting a high activity of chlorine in the tonalitic magma during crystallization. The relatively higher activity of chlorine (rather than fluorine) may indicate the significant role of chloride complexes (CuCl2− and AuCl2−) in transporting and precipitating copper and gold at the Batu Hijau deposit.