The Lamandau IOCG deposit, southwestern Kalimantan Island, Indonesia: Evidence for its formation from geochronology, mineralogy, and petrogenesis of igneous host rocks

Abstract

The Lamandau region of Kalimantan Island, Indonesia is located in Sandaland, in the southern part of the Kuching tectonic belt. A series of Cenozoic epithermal gold deposits and Fe–Cu–Au deposits are located in the Kuching belt. The Lamandau Fe–Cu–Au deposit is hosted by diorite porphyry. In-situ zircon U–Pb dating of the diorite porphyry shows that it formed between 82.1±1.7Ma and 78.7±2.3Ma. Geochemical data indicate a depletion of high field strength elements (HFSE) in the diorite porphyry and related basalt is similar to that of arc-related igneous rocks. The diorite porphyry and basalt were probably derived from typical arc magmas related to continental margin subduction and thus are characterized by light rare earth element (REE) enrichment and HFSE depletion. The sub-chondritic Nb/Ta ratios for the basalt in the Lamandau region indicate that the subducted Pacific slab began partial melting at depths where amphibole was the major residual phase, with some residual rutile. The basalt was derived from a depleted mantle source. The composition of apatite and zircon in the diorite porphyry indicates that the dioritic magma was produced from the subcontinental mantle after it was metasomatized by slab-derived fluids. The magma had a high oxygen fugacity, thus and therefore it was particularly conducive to the precipitation of Cu, Au and other ore-forming elements. The composition of magnetite indicates that it was of volcanic origin. The magnetite has a low REE content, and a high Cu–Au content. The deposit may be classified as an IOCG mineral system. In summary, the ore-related diorite porphyry in the Lamandau region might have formed in an extensional environment during rollback of the subducting western Pacific plate. The convergent velocity between the Philippine Sea and Eurasian plates was at a minimum during the rollback, so that the margin of East Asian began to undergo rifting with associated magmatism.