Ore Genesis of Shanmen Ag Deposit in Siping Area of Southern Jilin Province, NE China: Constraints from Fluid Inclusions and H-O, S, Pb Isotopes

Abstract

The Shanmen Ag deposit, located in the southeastern part of the Siping area, Jilin Province, is one of the large-scale Ag deposits in Northeastern (NE) China. Almost all Ag orebodies, Ag-bearing quartz-sulfide veins are strictly controlled by NE-trending faults or brittle fractures and are hosted in the Yanshanian monzonite and quartz diorite. In terms of deposit geology, three mineralization stages are recognized: the pyrite-quartz stage (I), the quartz-Ag-polymetallic sulfide stage (II), and the carbonate-quartz stage (III). The research results of the fluid inclusions in the different stages indicate that the early stage (Stage I) mainly contains three types of fluid inclusions: liquid-rich two-phase (L-type), vapor-rich two-phase (V-type), and CO2 aqueous multi-phase (C-type). The fluid belongs to a medium–high temperature and medium–low salinity H2O-NaCl-CO2 system and has boiling characteristics. The middle stage (Stage II) is mainly characterized by liquid-rich two-phase (L-type) and vapor-rich two-phase (V-type) inclusions, in which the mixing of fluids of different nature leads to the escape of CO2. Only liquid-rich two-phase (L-type) inclusions are distinguished in the late stage (Stage III). The fluids of two later stages belong to the medium-low-temperature and low-salinity H2O-NaCl system. Homogenization temperatures from the early to late stages range from 272.2 to 412.5 °C, 124.1 to 313.3 °C, and 128.6 to 224 °C, respectively. Fluid salinities in the early to late stages range from 1.6 to 12.1, 1.4 to 8.9, and 0.4 to 5.8 wt.% NaCl equivalent, respectively. The gradually decreasing trends of homogenization temperatures and salinities and the reduction in the CO2 content indicate that the release of CO2 and the low-temperature environment are important causes of the precipitation of Ag-bearing minerals. The δ18OH2O values of the ore-bearing quartz veins in the different stages range from −3.7 to +8.1‰, and the δD values of fluid inclusions in the quartz range from −113 to −103‰, indicating that the initial ore-forming fluid was mainly derived from magma and that the input of meteoric water gradually increased during the mineralization process. The δ34S values (ranging from −11.4‰ to +1.8‰) and Pb isotope compositions (206Pb/204Pb = 18.143–18.189, 207Pb/204Pb = 15.543–15.599, 208Pb/204Pb = 38.062–38.251) of sulfides suggest that the ore-forming materials have mixed mantle and crustal sources. Therefore, we propose that the release of CO2 and the low-temperature environment are important conditions for silver minerals precipitation, and the mixing of fluids of different nature is the dominant mechanism causing precipitation. The Shanmen Ag deposit can be classified as an intrusion-related medium–low temperature hydrothermal vein-type deposit.