Late Cretaceous metallogeny in the Zhongdian area: Constraints from Re–Os dating of molybdenite and pyrrhotite from the Hongshan Cu deposit, Yunnan, China

Abstract

The Zhongdian area in Yunnan, southwestern China, located at the southern end of the Yidun volcano-magmatic arc that was formed during the Triassic westward subduction of the Gaze-Litang Ocean, hosts numerous Triassic large porphyry and skarn deposits. The arc suffered Jurassic to Cretaceous arc-continental orogenic collision and Cenozoic intracontinental strike-slip shearing. The Hongshan Cu (–Mo–Pb–Zn) deposit is potentially a large deposit and contains two ore types: 1) predominant layered skarn Cu–(Pb–Zn) ores along marble-hornfels contacts; and 2) minor crosscutting vein-type Cu–Mo mineralization. Previous research forwards a two-stage genetic model without sufficient dating evidence, supposing the skarn mineralization is related to the Triassic calc-alkalic intrusions and the vein-type mineralization related to Cretaceous quartz monzonite porphyries. Re–Os dating of molybdenite from vein-type ores and quartz monzonite porphyries and that of pyrrhotite from skarn ores are presented here to constrain the mineralization age and rebuild the genetic model. Analyses of eight molybdenite samples yield an isochron age of 79.7±3.1Ma (MSWD=9.2) for the vein-type mineralization and a model age of 81.9±1.1Ma for the quartz monzonite porphyries. Isotope data on seven pyrrhotite samples from the skarn ores yield an isochron age of 79±16Ma z(MSWD=8.4). The Re–Os ages for the two ore types are concordant within analytical errors, indicating that the Hongshan deposit was formed in the Late Cretaceous. Elevated Re contents in molybdenite (13.65 to 63.91μg/g) and extremely radiogenic initial 187Os/188Os ratios in pyrrhotite (0.7673 to 0.8184; weighted average 0.796±0.038), together with elevated γOs values in pyrrhotite (507 to 547; average 528) imply a significant crustal component in the ore-forming materials that was likely derived from a lower crustal reservoir. Combined with the tectonic evolution of the Zhongdian area and geochemical characteristics of corresponding intrusions, the ages of mineralization obtained in this study indicate that the Hongshan deposit was formed in a post-collision setting with a genetic relationship to the emplacement of the quartz monzonite porphyry. These results provide significant new information for the study and exploration of the Late Cretaceous metallogeny in the Zhongdian area.