Syngenetic origin for the sediment-hosted disseminated gold deposits in NW Sichuan, China: ore fabric evidence

Abstract

Sediment-hosted disseminated gold deposits in NW Sichuan China have many features in common with the well-known Carlin-type deposits in the western United States. They are hosted by Middle–Upper Triassic turbidites composed of 1300–4300 m of rhythmically interbedded, slightly metamorphosed calcareous sandstone, siltstone, and slate. The ore bodies are typically layer- or lens-like in shape and generally extend parallel to the stratification of the host sedimentary rocks, with a strike length of tens to several hundreds of meters. The immediate host rocks consist mainly of calcareous slate and siltstone characterized by high contents of organic matter and diagenetic pyrite. The main primary ore minerals associated with gold mineralization include pyrite, arsenopyrite, realgar, and stibnite. Gangue minerals comprise mostly quartz, calcite and dolomite. Gold is extremely fine-grained, usually less than 1 μm, and cannot be seen with an electron microscope. Two types of ore mineralization have been recognized in the deposits. The stratiform ores are composed of rhythmical interbeds of sulfides (e.g., pyrite, arsenopyrite, realgar, stibnite) interpreted to be authigenic and detrital quartz, quartzite, sericite, and graphite of allogenic origin. They were folded and deformed concordantly with host rocks, and grade both vertically and laterally into normal country rocks. Another type of ore forms a network of numerous gold-bearing veins and veinlets of quartz–calcite–sulfides of millimeter-, centimeter-, decimeter-, and even meter-scale in width. The network ore randomly fills fissures, microfissures, and cleavages, but still is stratabound in character. Detailed studies on ore fabrics show abundant evidence for synsedimentary origins, although subsequent diagenesis, metamorphism, tectonic deformation, and epigenetic hydrothermal activity have significantly remolded the primary fabrics. Primary fabrics are shown either by rhythmical interbeds of different mineral components parallel to the bedding, or by the change of grain size of the same minerals such as pyrite, realgar, and stibnite. The layer inhomogeneity of the stratiform ore is clarified by parallel overprints of later schistosity planes, resulting in distinct grain orientation and elongation, aggregate polarization, and undulating extinction of ore minerals, especially of mechanically and chemically extremely mobile ones, such as realgar and stibnite. It is proposed that the stratiform ores in these Chinese deposits were most probably formed concurrently with their host Middle–Upper Triassic turbidites in submarine, hot spring environments, while the network mineralization was formed as a result of complicated processes such as diagenesis, weak metamorphism, tectonic deformation, and epigenetic hydrothermal activity, responsible for the remobilization or reworking of the pre-existing stratiform ores. Geochemical data also support this genetic model.