In-situ LA-ICPMS trace elements and U–Pb analysis of titanite from the Mesozoic Ruanjiawan W–Cu–Mo skarn deposit, Daye district, China

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In this paper, we present U–Pb ages and trace element compositions of titanite from the Ruanjiawan W–Cu–Mo skarn deposit in the Daye district, eastern China to constrain the magmatic and hydrothermal history in this deposit and provide a better understanding of the U–Pb geochronology and trace element geochemistry of titanite that have been subjected to post-crystallization hydrothermal alteration. Titanite from the mineralized skarn, the ore-related quartz diorite stock, and a diabase dike intruding this stock were analyzed using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS). Titanite grains from the quartz diorite and diabase dike typically coexist with hydrothermal minerals such as epidote, sericite, chlorite, pyrite, and calcite, and display irregular or patchy zoning. These grains have low LREE/HREE and high Th/U and Lu/Hf ratios, coupled with negative Eu and positive Ce anomalies. The textural and compositional data indicate that titanite from the quartz diorite has been overprinted by hydrothermal fluids after being crystallized from magmas. Titanite grains from the mineralized skarn are texturally equilibrated with retrograde skarn minerals including actinolite, quartz, calcite, and epidote, demonstrating that these grains were formed directly from hydrothermal fluids responsible for the mineralization. Compared to the varieties from the quartz diorite stock and diabase dike, titanite grains from the mineralized skarn have much lower REE contents and LREE/HREE, Th/U, and Lu/Hf ratios. They have a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 142±2Ma (MSWD=0.7, 2σ), in agreement with a zircon U–Pb age of 144±1Ma (MSWD=0.3, 2σ) of the quartz diorite and thus interpreted as formation age of the Ruanjiawan W–Cu–Mo deposit. Titanite grains from the ore-related quartz diorite have a concordant U–Pb age of 132±2Ma (MSWD=0.5, 2σ), which is 10–12Ma younger than the zircon U–Pb age of the same sample and thus interpreted as the time of a hydrothermal overprint after their crystallization. This hydrothermal overprint was most likely related to the emplacement of the diabase dike that has a zircon U–Pb age of 133±1Ma and a titanite U–Pb age of 131±2Ma. The geochronological results thus reveal two hydrothermal events in the Ruanjiawan deposit: an early one forming the Wu–Cu–Mo ores related to the emplacement of the quartz diorite stock and a later one causing alteration of the quartz diorite and its titanite due to emplacement of diabase dike. It is suggested that titanite is much more susceptible to hydrothermal alteration than zircon. Results from this study also highlight the utilization of trace element compositions in discriminating titanite of magmatic and hydrothermal origins, facilitating a more reasonable interpretation of the titanite U–Pb ages.