The Ashele VMS-type Cu-Zn Deposit in Xinjiang, NW China Formed in a Rifted Arc Setting

Abstract

The Ashele Cu-Zn deposit is a typical VMS deposit in Chinese Altay located in the southern margin of the Altaid orogen. The deposit occurred in the polyphase fold system, and the main orebody is located at the hinge of the syncline. All orebodies show lenticular form, and are stratabound by a suite of early to middle Devonian bimodal volcanic rocks. The hosting basalt is low K tholeiite and characterized with high Mg, Fe, Ca and low K, Ti. These basalts show flat REE pattern with Ce negative anomaly (Ce/Ce* 0.73–0.76). Niobium, Ta, Zr, Hf are depleted and Rb, Ba, Th, U, Sr, Pb are enriched with respect to the N-MORB. Both the Sr and Nd isotopes show depleted properties, while the ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr)i and the eNd(t) range from 0.70469 to 0.70488 and 4.6 to 5.3, respectively. All geochemical and isotopic data from the hosting basalt show that it originates from an island arc source. We also report the S isotope data from the massive orebody, and d 34 S‰ change from 1.8‰ to 5.6‰. The S isotope data provide evidence that the sulfur originates from a mixing source between magma and seawater sulfate. We propose that the mafic magma provides the ore-forming metal and some percentage of sulfur, while it also acts as a heat engine which makes the fluids leach the metal from the underlying volcanic rocks. Combining the geological characteristics of the Ashele and geochemical data, and comparing with other Cu-Zn VMS deposits in the world, we propose that Ashele formed in a rifted arc setting.