CONTROLS ON THE METAL ENDOWMENT OF PORPHYRY Mo DEPOSITS: INSIGHTS FROM THE LUMING PORPHYRY Mo DEPOSIT, NORTHEASTERN CHINA

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hegen Ouyang ◽  
Jingwen Mao ◽  
Ruizhong Hu ◽  
John Caulfield ◽  
Zhenhua Zhou

Abstract Processes controlling the metal endowment of arc-related porphyry Mo deposits are not well understood. Located in northeastern China, the arc-related Luming porphyry Mo deposit has a proven reserve of 0.75 Mt Mo at an average grade of 0.092 wt % and is characterized by multiple pulses of alteration and mineralization. These features make this deposit an ideal location to investigate the role of multiple pulses of magmatism and fluid release in the evolution and formation of an arc-related porphyry Mo deposit. Molybdenum mineralization at Luming is typically observed as a series of molybdenite-bearing veins hosted within a composite intrusive complex, referred to as the Luming Intrusive Suite. Crosscutting relationships between intrusive units and off-set veins indicate that the Luming Intrusive Suite is composed of five major, successive granitic intrusions: the premineralization plutonic biotite monzogranite and monzogranite units, and the synmineralization stock- and dike-like porphyritic monzogranite, granite porphyry, and syenogranite units. Each synmineralization unit is associated with similar vein sequences that comply with the general form of early EB-type biotite veins, through A-type quartz ± biotite and B-type quartz-molybdenite veins, to late D-type quartz-molybdenite ± pyrite ± chalcopyrite, molybdenite, quartz-pyrite ± calcite, and calcite ± clays veins. The intensity and volume of alteration and mineralization within a given synmineralization unit decrease from early- through inter- to late-mineralization units. Although minor Mo mineralization is associated with potassic alteration along B-type veins, the majority of the ore is associated with D-type quartz-molybdenite-pyrite and molybdenite veins rimmed by sericite-chlorite-pyrite alteration, which are primarily hosted in the two premineralization units. A combination of laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) zircon U-Pb and hydrothermal biotite 40Ar/39Ar studies, together with available isotope dilution-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ID-ICP-MS) molybdenite Re-Os data, has resulted in a substantial reappraisal of the timing of magmatism and its association with molybdenite mineralization at Luming. The volumetrically dominant premineralization intrusive units have indistinguishable zircon U-Pb weighted mean 206Pb/238U ages ranging from 187.5 ± 2.8 to 186.5 ± 3.6 Ma (2σ), whereas the synmineralization units yield weighted mean 206Pb/238U ages from 178.6 ± 2.2 to 175.6 ± 3.0 Ma (2σ). The zircon U-Pb weighted mean 206Pb/238U ages of the synmineralization units are indistinguishable from the mean molybdenite Re-Os model (178.1 ± 2.7; 2σ) and hydrothermal biotite 40Ar/39Ar plateau (174.7 ± 1.1 Ma; 2σ) ages within uncertainty, confirming a genetic link with mineralization. Melt inclusion data show that the synmineralization intrusions were Mo poor, with Mo concentrations <4 ppm. The data presented here suggest that molybdenite mineralization at Luming was most likely accomplished through three discrete magmatic-hydrothermal events during assembly of the Mo-poor synmineralization intrusive complex. The giant Luming deposit appears to be related to multiple pulses of magmatic-hydrothermal activities, resulting in the superposition of temporally distinct mineralization events. Our results suggest that pulsed release of ore-forming magmas and fluids, which are channeled along focusing structures like small porphyry fingers within a focused area, from a large magma chamber at depth may play a major role in the formation of large to giant porphyry Mo deposits of both the arc-related and Climax types. This conclusion is in line with field observations of a number of large to giant porphyry Mo deposits, which commonly show reversals in magmatic-hydrothermal evolutionary trend and are associated with multiple pulses of small stocks and dikes that are separate in time and space.

2009 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 495-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioan Balintoni ◽  
Constantin Balica ◽  
Monica Cliveţi ◽  
Li-Qiu Li ◽  
Horst Hann ◽  
...  

The emplacement age of the Muntele Mare Variscan granite (Apuseni Mountains, Romania)Like the Alps and Western Carpathians, the Apuseni Mountains represent a fragment of the Variscan orogen involved in the Alpine crustal shortenings. Thus the more extensive Alpine tectonic unit in the Apuseni Mountains, the Bihor Autochthonous Unit is overlain by several nappe systems. During the Variscan orogeny, the Bihor Unit was a part of the Someş terrane involved as the upper plate in subduction, continental collision and finally in the orogen collapse and exhumation. The Variscan thermotectonic events were marked in the future Bihor Unit by the large Muntele Mare granitoid intrusion, an S-type anatectic body. Zircon U-Pb laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) dating yielded a weighted mean age of 290.9 ± 3.0 Ma and a concordia age of 291.1 ± 1.1 Ma. U-Pb isotope dilution zircon analyses yielded a lower intercept crystallization age of 296.6 + 5.7/-6.2 Ma. These two ages coincide in the error limits. Thus, the Muntele Mare granitoid pluton is a sign of the last stage in the Variscan history of the Apuseni Mountains. Many zircon grains show inheritance and/or Pb loss, typical for anatectic granitoid, overprinted by later thermotectonic events.


2020 ◽  
Vol 115 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hegen Ouyang ◽  
Jingwen Mao ◽  
Ruizhong Hu

Abstract To better understand processes leading to porphyry Mo deposit formation, the metal content, volatile content, and crystallization conditions of melt inclusions from pre- and synmineralization intrusions in six porphyry(-skarn) Mo deposits of northeastern China (Aolunhua, Hashitu, Lanjiagou, Songbei, Wanbaoyuan, and Yangjiazhangzi) were investigated by means of laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and electron microprobe analysis. The ore-forming silicate melts were one to four times more evolved than average granite with 1 to 7 ppm Mo. The ore-related intrusions crystallized predominantly at 760° to 690°C and 3.7 to 1.0 kbar, except for the one at Hashitu, which crystallized at 770° to 740°C and lower pressures (2.0–1.0 kbar). Fertile silicate melts at Hashitu contain up to 0.4 wt % F, 0.03 to 0.09 wt % Cl, 5.0 to 7.0 wt % H2O, 10 to 24 ppm Cs, and 200 to 500 ppm Rb, whereas those at Yangjiazhangzi and Wanbaoyuan contain less Cs (3–6 ppm and 5–7 ppm, respectively), less Rb (180–220 ppm and 200–240 ppm, respectively), and negligible F (<0.15 wt %) but have similar Cl (0.03–0.05 wt %) and H2O (5.3–6.5 wt % and 4.0–5.2 wt %, respectively) contents. Calculated melt viscosities in fertile magmas (log η = 4.3–6.1 Pa s) are at the lower end of the values reported for felsic melts at the same temperature. Comparison between syn- and premineralization intrusions in individual deposits reveals that the ore-related intrusions were similarly evolved and had similar Mo contents and crystallization conditions as the nonmineralizing intrusions. The only difference is that the premineralization intrusions tend to occur as batholiths. The key to porphyry Mo mineralization lies in the focusing of fluid into and through a small rock volume on the top of the intrusion. For the studied porphyry Mo deposits, the mineralizing magmas are all Mo poor, indicating Mo enrichment is not required to form porphyry Mo deposits. Metal endowments in porphyry Mo deposits have no direct relationship with the composition and crystallization condition of mineralizing melts but are linked with the fluid flux released from the underlying magma chamber through a cupola.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingo Strenge ◽  
Carsten Engelhard

<p>The article demonstrates the importance of using a suitable approach to compensate for dead time relate count losses (a certain measurement artefact) whenever short, but potentially strong transient signals are to be analysed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Findings strongly support the theory that inadequate time resolution, and therefore insufficient compensation for these count losses, is one of the main reasons for size underestimation observed when analysing inorganic nanoparticles using ICP-MS, a topic still controversially discussed.</p>


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