Fluid origin and structural enhancement during mineralization of the Jinshan orogenic gold deposit, South China

Abstract

The Jinshan orogenic gold deposit is a world-class deposit hosted by a ductile shear zone caused by a transpressional terrane collision during Neoproterozoic time. Ore bodies at the deposit include laminated quartz veins and disseminated pyrite-bearing mylonite. Most quartz veins in the shear zone, with and without gold mineralization, were boudinaged during progressive shear deformation with three generations of boudinage structures produced at different stages of progressive deformation. Observations of ore-controlling structures at various scales indicate syn-deformational mineralization. Fluid inclusions from pyrite intergrown with auriferous quartz have 3He/4He ratios of 0.15–0.24 Ra and 40Ar/36Ar ratios 575–3,060. δ18Ofluid values calculated from quartz are 5.5–8.4‰, and δD values of fluid inclusions contained in quartz range between −61‰ and −75‰. The δ13C values of ankerite range from −5.0‰ to −4.2‰, and ankerite δ18O values from 4.4‰ to 8.0‰. The noble gas and stable isotope data suggest a predominant crustal source of ore fluids with less than 5% mantle component. Data also show that in situ fluids were generated locally by pervasive pressure solution, and that widespread dissolution seams acted as pathways of fluid flow, migration, and precipitation. The in situ fluids and fluids derived from deeper levels of the crust were focused by deformation and deformation structures at various scales through solution-dissolution creep, crack-seal slip, and cyclic fault-valve mechanisms during progressively localized deformation and gold mineralization.