Isotope geochemistry of Erentaolegai silver deposit, Inner Mongolia, China

Abstract

Detailed studies have been conducted on the geology and geochemistry of the deposit and granite in the mining district in the last two decades, and by comparing this deposit with other typical epithermal deposits in the world, it is clear that the Erentaolegai silver deposit is a lower-sulfidation, adularia-sericite-type epithermal silver deposit and the bulk mineralogy of this deposit is consistent with low-sulfidation epithermal mineralization. Determined by the Rb-Sr isochron method, the age of magmatic intrusives in the mining district is 120 Ma. So, it can be concluded that the local areas were marginally subjected to the movement in Late Yanshanian and produced granitic magma, and about 29% mantle material, as is calculated, was involved in magmatism. The magma experienced crystallization-differentiation, resulting in the formation of granite and quartz porphyry; the latter was the product of violent granitic magma crystallization-differentiation, so silver was enriched in later petrogenetic stages and post-petrogenetic ore fluids from which Ag was derived dominantly. Oxygen and hydrogen isotopic characteristics indicate that meteoric waters on the Earth’s surface played an important role in the formation of granitic magma and the deposit: (1) contributing a lot to the fundamental complex partial melting; (2) contributing a lot to magma crystallization-differentiation, and bringing silver into the magma which is eventually responsible for the formation of quartz porphyry; and (3) contributing a lot to the formation of great amounts of ore fluid. The lead isotopic characteristics show that the silver and lead have an affinity for each other.