Genesis of the Huangshannan high-Ni tenor magmatic sulfide deposit in the Eastern Tianshan, northwest China: Constraints from PGE geochemistry and Os–S isotopes

Abstract

The Huangshannan magmatic Ni-Cu sulfide deposit is one of a group of Permian magmatic Ni-Cu deposits located in the southern Central Asian Orogenic belt in the Eastern Tianshan, northwest China. It is characterized by elevated Ni tenor (concentrations in recalculated 100% sulfide) in sulfide within ultramafic rocks (9–19wt%), with values much higher than other deposits in the region. Sulfides of the Huangshannan deposit are composed of pentlandite, chalcopyrite, and pyrrhotite and the host rock is relatively fresh, indicating that the high-Ni tenor is a primary magmatic feature rather than formed by alteration processes. It is shown that sulfides with high-Ni tenor can be generated by sulfide-olivine equilibrium at an oxygen fugacity of QFM +0.5, for magmas containing 450ppm Ni and 20% olivine. Ores with >10wt% sulfur have relatively low PGE and Ni tenors compared to other ores, R factor (mass ratio of silicate to sulfide liquid) modeling of Ni indicates that they formed at moderate R values (150–600). Based on this constraint on R values, ores with <10wt% sulfides in the Huangshannan deposit can be segregated from a similar parental magma with 0.05ppb Os, 0.023ppb Ir, and 0.5ppb Pd at R values between 600 and 3000. This, coupled with the supra-cotectic proportions of sulfide liquid to cumulus silicates in the Huangshannan ores imply mechanical transport and deposition of sulfide liquid in a magma pathway or conduit, in which sulfides must have interacted with large volumes of silicate magma. Platinum and Pd depletion relative to other platinum group elements (PGEs) are observed in fresh and sulfide-rich samples (S>4.5wt%). As sulfide-rich samples are also depleted in Cu, and as interstitial sulfides in those samples are physically interconnected at a scale of several cms, the low Pt and Pd anomalies are attributed to solid Pt and Pd phases crystallization and retention with the monosulfide solid solution (MSS) and Cu-rich sulfide liquid percolation during MSS fractionation. This finding indicates that Pt anomalies in sulfide-rich rocks from magmatic Ni-Cu deposits in the Eastern Tianshan are the result of sulfide fractionation rather than a hydrothermal effect. 187Os/188Os(278Ma) values of the lherzolite samples vary from 0.27 to 0.37 and γOs(278Ma) values vary from 110 to 189, indicating significant magma interaction with crustal sulfides, rich in radiogenic Os. Well constrained γOs values and δ34S values (−0.4 to 0.8‰) indicate that crustal contamination occurred at depth before the arrival of the magma in the Huangshannan chamber. Regionally, deposits with high-Ni tenor have not been reported other than the Huangshannan deposit; however, many intrusions with high-Ni contents in olivine are present in NW China, such as the Erhongwa, Poyi and Poshi intrusions. Those intrusions are capable of forming high-Ni tenor sulfides due to olivine-sulfide-silicate equilibrium and relative high-Ni content in parent magma, making them attractive exploration targets.