Distal Au Deposits Associated with Cu-Au Skarn Mineralization in the Fengshan Area, Eastern China

Abstract

Research Article| February 01, 2019 Distal Au Deposits Associated with Cu-Au Skarn Mineralization in the Fengshan Area, Eastern China Guiqing Xie; Guiqing Xie 1Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) Key Laboratory of Metallogeny and Mineral Assessment, Institute of Mineral Resources, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (CAGS), Beijing 100037, China2Mineral Exploration Research Centre, Harquail School of Earth Sciences, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario P3E 2C6, Canada †Corresponding author: e-mail, xieguiqing@cags.ac.cn Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jingwen Mao; Jingwen Mao 1Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) Key Laboratory of Metallogeny and Mineral Assessment, Institute of Mineral Resources, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (CAGS), Beijing 100037, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jeremy P. Richards; Jeremy P. Richards 2Mineral Exploration Research Centre, Harquail School of Earth Sciences, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario P3E 2C6, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Yingxiao Han; Yingxiao Han 3School of Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Bin Fu Bin Fu 4Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Guiqing Xie 1Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) Key Laboratory of Metallogeny and Mineral Assessment, Institute of Mineral Resources, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (CAGS), Beijing 100037, China2Mineral Exploration Research Centre, Harquail School of Earth Sciences, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario P3E 2C6, Canada Jingwen Mao 1Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) Key Laboratory of Metallogeny and Mineral Assessment, Institute of Mineral Resources, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (CAGS), Beijing 100037, China Jeremy P. Richards 2Mineral Exploration Research Centre, Harquail School of Earth Sciences, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario P3E 2C6, Canada Yingxiao Han 3School of Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China Bin Fu 4Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia †Corresponding author: e-mail, xieguiqing@cags.ac.cn ☼Current address: Institute of Mineral Resources, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, No. 26 Baiwanzhuang Road, Beijing 100037, China. Publisher: Society of Economic Geologists Accepted: 23 Nov 2018 First Online: 28 Feb 2019 Online Issn: 1554-0774 Print Issn: 0361-0128 © 2019 Economic GeologyEconomic Geology Economic Geology (2019) 114 (1): 127–142. https://doi.org/10.5382/econgeo.2019.4623 Article history Accepted: 23 Nov 2018 First Online: 28 Feb 2019 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Guiqing Xie, Jingwen Mao, Jeremy P. Richards, Yingxiao Han, Bin Fu; Distal Au Deposits Associated with Cu-Au Skarn Mineralization in the Fengshan Area, Eastern China. Economic Geology 2019;; 114 (1): 127–142. doi: https://doi.org/10.5382/econgeo.2019.4623 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyEconomic Geology Search Advanced Search Abstract Carbonate-hosted Au deposits (12 million tonnes at 5.0 g/t Au) are located less than 1.5 km away from Cu-Au skarn deposits in the Fengshan area, Middle-Lower Yangtze River metallogenic belt, eastern China. The skarn deposits occur in the contact zones of late Mesozoic granodiorite porphyry intrusions. Bismuth tellurides and coloradoite (HgTe) occur in Cu-Au skarn and peripheral Au-As ores, respectively, whereas tellurides, including coloradoite, and lorandite (TlAsS2) are present in carbonate-hosted Au ores outside the marble front. New zircon U-Pb ages indicate that the granodiorite porphyry intrusions spatially related to both Cu-Au skarn and carbonate-hosted Au deposits were emplaced between 149.9 ± 1.3 and 145.9 ± 0.7 Ma, which overlaps with molybdenite Re-Os ages of 149.1 ± 2.1 to 145.4 ± 2.9 Ma from the Cu-Au skarn deposits. Sulfur isotope compositions of sulfide minerals from the Cu-Au skarn deposits (δ34S = –2.5 to 6.4‰) are similar to those from carbonate-hosted Au deposits (δ34S = –4.8 to 2.6‰), suggesting a similar magmatic source of sulfur. Geologic, mineralogical, and sulfur isotope evidence collectively indicate that the carbonate-hosted Au deposits are the distal product of Cu-Au skarn mineralization rather than Carlin-type Au deposits, as has been previously suggested. This study proposes a genetic model to illustrate possible linkages between oxidized Cu-Au skarn deposits (associated with oxidized magmas) and carbonate-hosted Au deposits, which may have important implications for Au deposits in the more distal parts of Cu-Au skarn systems in the Middle-Lower Yangtze River metallogenic belt and elsewhere. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.