Magmatic-hydrothermal Sn-(W) mineralization is commonly associated with Pb-Zn-Ag mineralization, forming Sn-polymetallic deposits that typically exhibit a zonation from proximal Sn-(W) to distal Pb-Zn-Ag, alongside a paragenetic sequence from early Sn-(W) to late Pb-Zn-Ag mineralization. Traditional models generally propose that these deposits formed from a single magmatic-hydrothermal event characterized by continuously decreasing temperatures. However, our study of the Changpu Sn-Pb-Zn-(Ag) deposit in eastern Guangdong, South China, reveals a more intricate mineralization history. There, metal zonation results from three distinct mineralization events occurring over a prolonged period. The Sn orebodies at Changpu occur as cassiterite−tourmaline−quartz−(muscovite) veins and breccia zones in the central part of the deposit, whereas the Pb-Zn-Ag orebodies occur mainly as sulfide-(cassiterite) veins peripheral to the Sn orebodies. The hydrothermal processes related to mineralization are divided into three periods, and each corresponds to a unique mineralization event. Period 1 is characterized by tourmalinization with minor Sn mineralization, period 2 represents the main Sn mineralization, and period 3 features predominant Pb-Zn-Ag mineralization. Different isotopic dating methods were used to obtain the ages of these mineralization periods: ca. 150 Ma for period 1 (U-Pb dating of cassiterite and Ar-Ar dating of fluid inclusions in quartz), ca. 130 Ma for period 2 (U-Pb dating of cassiterite), and ca. 105 Ma for period 3 (Ar-Ar dating of muscovite). These ages overlap with the reported zircon U-Pb ages for quartz porphyry dike (144.1 ± 1.2 Ma) and rhyolite (153.9 ± 1.3 Ma) in the deposit area. Fluid inclusions in cassiterite and quartz are of the H2O-CO2-CH4-NaCl compositional system in all of the periods and show a decrease in temperature and salinity from the early to late stages within each period. The H isotopes of fluid inclusions in cassiterite and quartz fall within the field of magmatic water, and the O isotopes of the ore-forming fluids calculated from the O isotopes of cassiterite and quartz are slightly shifted away from the field of magmatic water toward meteoric water. These geochronological and isotopic data, together with fluid pressures calculated from fluid inclusion data, suggest that three distinct magmatic-hydrothermal Sn-Pb-Zn mineralization events occurred at the same location over ∼45 m.y., resulting in the observed metal zonation due to the evolution of the magmatic system and continuous surface erosion. The magmas responsible for the three mineralization events are linked via a deep fault to a crustal source region, where discrete partial melting processes are related to episodic slab-foundering or slab rollback of the paleo-Pacific plate during the Mesozoic in South China. This proposed model has significant implications for mineral exploration at depth within the study area and offers valuable insights for areas with similar geological contexts globally.
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Research Article|
November 26, 2024
Early Publication
Formation of a granite-related Sn-Pb-Zn-(Ag) deposit from three discrete mineralization events around a common magmatic-hydrothermal center over a span of ∼45 million years at Changpu, eastern Guangdong, South China
Qing-He Yan;
Qing-He Yan
1
Department of Geology, School of Earth Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China2
Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China3
Yunnan International Joint Laboratory of Critical Mineral Resource, Kunming 650500, China
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Guoxiang Chi;
Guoxiang Chi
4
Department of Geology, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan S4S 0A2, Canada
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He Wang;
He Wang
2
Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
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Bingbing Liu;
Bingbing Liu
1
Department of Geology, School of Earth Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China
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Wei Zhang
Wei Zhang
1
Department of Geology, School of Earth Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China3
Yunnan International Joint Laboratory of Critical Mineral Resource, Kunming 650500, China
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Qing-He Yan
1
Department of Geology, School of Earth Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China2
Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China3
Yunnan International Joint Laboratory of Critical Mineral Resource, Kunming 650500, China
Guoxiang Chi
4
Department of Geology, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan S4S 0A2, Canada
He Wang
2
Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
Bingbing Liu
1
Department of Geology, School of Earth Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China
Wei Zhang
1
Department of Geology, School of Earth Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China3
Yunnan International Joint Laboratory of Critical Mineral Resource, Kunming 650500, China
Publisher: Geological Society of America
Received:
01 Apr 2024
Revision Received:
01 Oct 2024
Accepted:
31 Oct 2024
First Online:
26 Nov 2024
Online ISSN: 1943-2674
Print ISSN: 0016-7606
© 2024 Geological Society of America
GSA Bulletin (2024)
Article history
Received:
01 Apr 2024
Revision Received:
01 Oct 2024
Accepted:
31 Oct 2024
First Online:
26 Nov 2024
Citation
Qing-He Yan, Guoxiang Chi, He Wang, Bingbing Liu, Wei Zhang; Formation of a granite-related Sn-Pb-Zn-(Ag) deposit from three discrete mineralization events around a common magmatic-hydrothermal center over a span of ∼45 million years at Changpu, eastern Guangdong, South China. GSA Bulletin 2024; doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/B37696.1
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Index Terms/Descriptors
- Asia
- cassiterite
- China
- Far East
- framework silicates
- geothermal systems
- Guangdong China
- hydrothermal alteration
- magmatism
- metal ores
- metasomatism
- mica group
- mineral deposits, genesis
- mineral exploration
- mineralization
- muscovite
- ore bodies
- ore-forming fluids
- oxides
- polymetallic ores
- quartz
- ring silicates
- sheet silicates
- silica minerals
- silicates
- South China Block
- tourmaline group
- Changpu Deposit
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