Origin of illites at dexing porphyry copper deposit, Jiangxi Province, East China: Implications for alteration zoning and ore-forming fluid evolution

Abstract

According to differences in features of illites including spatial distribution, crystallinity index, volume of swelling layer, polytype and relationship between its index and copper grade, two typical kinds of illite can be classified within the Tongchang porphyry copper deposit, Dexing County, East China. One is a kind of hydrothermally altered minerals within the hydrothermal alteration zone, including altered granodiorite-porphyry and altered metamorphic tuffaceous phyllite near the contact zone with porphyry rockbody. The illite crystallinity and expandability are mainly affected by water/rock ratio or fluid flux, and hydrothermal illite is formed by illitization of plagioclase and/or micas during hydrothermal fluid evolution within the porphyry body and near the contact zone with wall rocks. The other is a product of low-grade metamorphism itself by illitization of smectite, whose crystallinity index is lower than the hydrothermal illite and which is of 2M1 polytype with no swelling layer, in the altered metamorphic tuffaceous phyllite far from porphyry rockbody ( > 2 km). Moreover, the negative correlation between illite index and copper grade indicates that, within the alteration zone, the smaller the illite crystallinity, the stronger the alteration degree, and the higher the copper grade due to higher water/rock ratio. At lower levels of the porphyry body, however, the illite crystallinity (IC) values are controlled mainly by temperature and time.