Abstract
The W–Sn Panasqueira ore deposit is a magmatic-hydrothermal system, which includes a high-grade quartz-vein type mineralization and a disseminated greisen-type mineralization occurring in the upper part of the Panasqueira two-mica granite. We investigated the genetic and chronological relationships between the greisenization of the Panasqueira granite and the formation of ore-bearing quartz veins by monitoring major and trace elements variations in quartz-white mica assemblages composing the two-mica granite, greisen and W–Sn-bearing quartz veins. The greisen is characterized by an overall depletion in Mg, Ti, Ca, Na, Ba, Sr, REE and enrichment in Fe, Li, Rb, Cs, Sn, W which reflect the breakdown of feldspars and fluid-rock interactions with W–Sn-bearing fluids. White-mica from greisen and mineralized quartz veins are enriched in granophile elements (F, Rb, Cs, Li, Sn, W and Zn) compared to magmatic muscovite from the two-mica granite. Trace elements contents in quartz depict trends which show the progressive enrichment in Ge and B and depletion in Al, Ti and Li from magmatic to hydrothermal quartz that emphasize the progressive evolution and cooling of the magmatic-hydrothermal system of Panasqueira. Geochemical similarities between quartz-white mica assemblages from greisen and wolframite-bearing veins suggest that greisenization and the formation of mineralized veins result from the same hydrothermal event and derived from the same source of hydrothermal fluids. Apatite from greisen and quartz vein yielded U–Pb ages of 292 ± 10 Ma and 295 ± 5 Ma respectively confirming that greisenization and the formation of mineralized veins occurred roughly at the same time. These ages also overlap with the emplacement age of the Panasqueira granite (296 ± 4 Ma), indicating a temporal link between greisenization, W–Sn mineralization and granite crystallization. Temperatures of the magmatic-hydrothermal system constrained by Ti-in quartz thermometry depicts a cooling trend from magmatic quartz of granite (700–600 °C) to hydrothermal quartz of greisen (500–400 °C) and veins (450–350 °C). These results suggest that greisenization and the formation of W–Sn bearing quartz veins occurred at the magmatic-hydrothermal transition, during which orthomagmatic fluids rich in volatils, incompatible elements and W–Sn were exsolved during the final solidification stage of the Panasqueira two-mica granite.
Highlights
Vein and greisen deposits supply an important source of tin–tungsten (Sn–W) (Kotlyar et al, 1995; Robb, 2005; Werner et al, 2014)
Magmatic quartz occurs on the right side of the diagram and is clearly separated of hydrothermal quartz that occurs on the left side (Fig. 9a)
The Al, Li, Rb and B vs Ge/Ti diagrams (Figs. 9d–9g) show that the magmatic-hydrothermal evolution of Panasqueira defined by an increase of Ge/Ti ratio in quartz is marked by a progressive depletion in Al, Li and Rb and by a progressive enrichment in B from magmatic to hydrothermal quartz
Summary
Vein and greisen deposits supply an important source of tin–tungsten (Sn–W) (Kotlyar et al, 1995; Robb, 2005; Werner et al, 2014). Quartz-mica assemblages are common both in greisen and in their associated mineralized veins, e.g. Panasqueira, Portugal (Kelly and Rye, 1979; Neiva, 1987; Neiva et al, 2007), Piaotang, China (Legros et al, 2016, 2018), Cínovec, Erzgebirge (Breiter et al, 2017a, 2017b, 2019; Müller et al, 2018), Cligga Head, Cornwall (Sanderson et al, 2008) and Echassières district, France (Monnier et al, 2018, 2019) These minerals are able to incorporate a wide range of trace elements that can be used as indicators of the evolution of magmatic-hydrothermal systems (Miller et al, 1981; Speer, 1984; Monier et al, 1984; Neiva, 1987; Tischendorf et al, 1997; Gomes and Neiva, 2000; Legros et al, 2016, 2018; Breiter et al, 2017a, 2017b; Müller et al, 2018; Michaud et al, 2020). A conceptual model describing the formation of greisen and W–Sn-bearing quartz veins during the magmatic-hydrothermal transition in Panasqueira is proposed
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