Mica trace-element signatures: Highlighting superimposed W-Sn mineralizations and fluid sources

Abstract

In the Echassières district of the French Massif Central, occur several outstanding magmatic/hydrothermal systems enriched in strategic metals, such as the Beauvoir rare-metal granite. In this contribution we propose a systematic approach, based on mica trace chemistry, to decipher the different events leading to mineralization. Twelve groups of micas were defined by their specific petrographic features and/or location in the district. Their trace element composition, obtained by LA-ICP-MS, varies widely from one mica group to another, although homogeneous signatures within groups could be distinguished. Some of the trace elements are remarkably enriched, such as W in igneous lepidolite and Sn in greisen muscovite, both of which occur in the Beauvoir granite. A statistical approach based on a set of multivariate analyses highlights that the trace chemistry of micas is inherited from their source, whether hydrothermal or igneous, thus providing a signature for their origin. This approach also shows that differences in major element composition (i.e., different mica species) impact only slightly the trace-element signature. For instance, muscovite and zinnwaldite from one granite have a coherent signature, but they contrast with same mica species in another granite or hydrothermal veins. It is thus possible to genetically link two different mica species from remote locations, or inversely, to recognize different origins for a same mica species in the same sample (e.g., superposed alterations). A second, important implication is that trace-element signatures of micas provide a record of metal remobilization and transport. In the Echassières district, greisen alteration of the Beauvoir granite caused dissolution of W-rich (ca. 290 ppm in average) lepidolite and cassiterite (SnO2). Newly-formed greisen muscovite incorporated most remobilized Sn (ca. 1000 ppm in average), while W precipitated in distal quartz veins as wolframite. As a consequence, Sn is concentrated in the granite, while W occurs outside of it. This is also underlined by the gradual Sn decrease and W increase recorded in micas from distal veins. Finally, wolframite-bearing veins do not contain cassiterite, validating mica trace-element chemistry as a powerful tool to decipher Sn-W ore forming hydrothermal processes.