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Geological characteristics and mineralization setting of the Zhuxi tungsten (copper) polymetallic deposit in the Eastern Jiangnan Orogen

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Abstract

The Zhuxi ore deposit is a super-large scheelite (copper) polymetallic deposit discovered in recent years. It grew above copper/tungsten-rich Neoproterozoic argilloarenaceous basement rocks and was formed in the contact zone between Yanshanian granites and Carboniferous-Permian limestone. Granites related to this mineralization mainly include equigranular, middle- to coarse-grained granites and granitic porphyries. There are two mineralization types: skarn scheelite (copper) and granite scheelite mineralization. The former is large scale and has a high content of scheelite, whereas the latter is small scale and has a low content of scheelite. In the Taqian-Fuchun Basin, its NW boundary is a thrust fault, and the SE boundary is an angular unconformity with Proterozoic basement. In Carboniferous-Permian rock assemblages, the tungsten and copper contents in the limestone are both very high. The contents of major elements in granitoids do not differ largely between the periphery and the inside of the Zhuxi ore deposit. In both areas, the values of the aluminum saturation index are A/CNK>1.1, and the rocks are classified as potassium-rich strongly peraluminous granites. In terms of trace elements, compared to granites on the periphery of the Zhuxi ore deposit, the granites inside the Zhuxi ore deposit have smaller δEu values, exhibit a significantly more negative Eu anomaly, are richer in Rb, U, Ta, Pb and Hf, and are more depleted in Ba, Ce, Sr, La and Ti, which indicates that they are highly differentiated S-type granites with a high degree of evolution. Under the influence of fluids, mineralization of sulfides is evident within massive rock formations inside the Zhuxi ore deposit, and the mean SO3 content is 0.2%. Compared to peripheral rocks, the δEu and total rare earth element (REE) content of granites inside the Zhuxi ore deposit are both lower, indicating a certain evolutionary inheritance relationship between the granites on the periphery and the granites inside the Zhuxi ore deposit. For peripheral and ore district plutons, U-Pb zircon dating shows an age range of 152–148 Ma. In situ Lu-Hf isotope analysis of zircon in the granites reveals that the calculated εHf(t) values are all negative, and the majority range from -6 to -9. The T DM2 values are concentrated in the range of 1.50–1.88 Ga (peak at 1.75 Ga), suggesting that the granitic magmas are derived from partial melting of ancient crust. This paper also discusses the metallogenic conditions and ore-controlling conditions of the ore district from the perspectives of mineral contents, hydrothermal alteration, and ore-controlling structures in the strata and the ore-bearing rocks. It is proposed that the Zhuxi ore deposit went through a multi-stage evolution, including oblique intrusion of granitic magmas, skarn mineralization, cooling and alteration, and precipitation of metal sulfides. The mineralization pattern can be summarized as “copper in the east and tungsten in the west, copper at shallow-middle depths and tungsten at deep depths, tungsten in the early stage and copper in the late stage”.

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  1. State Key Laboratory for Endogenic Metal Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China

    GuoHua Chen & LiangShu Shu

  2. No. 912 Geological Party, Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources of Jiangxi Province, Yingtan, 335001, China

    GuoHua Chen, LiMin Shu, Cheng Zhang & YongPeng Ouyang

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Chen, G., Shu, L., Shu, L. et al. Geological characteristics and mineralization setting of the Zhuxi tungsten (copper) polymetallic deposit in the Eastern Jiangnan Orogen. Sci. China Earth Sci. 59, 803–823 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-015-5200-9

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