Geology, Geochemistry and Re-Os Age of the Qiaoxiahala Deposit in NW China: Evidence of an Overprinted Fe(-Cu/Au) Deposit

Abstract

Overprinting of an earlier formed deposit may obscure the nature of the deposit and hinder our understanding of regional metallogeny. The Qiaoxiahala Fe(-Cu/Au) deposit in eastern Junggar, NW China, is characterized by magnetite mineralization later replaced by sulfide minerals such as chalcopyrite. To reveal the genesis of Qiaoxiahala, we conducted Re-Os dating on post-magnetite molybdenite separated from chalcopyrite and rare earth elements (REEs) for basaltic volcanic rock, magnetite, chalcopyrite and diorite. An isochron age of 377±7 Ma was obtained together with a weighted mean age of 375±3 Ma, which is indistinguishable from mineralization ages determined in previous studies. Rare earth element (REE) data for basaltic volcanic rocks hosting the ore are comparable to that of the magnetite, while the REE signatures of chalcopyrite from the Cu ore and local intrusive diorite share a similar pattern. These suggest that two distinct fluid sources are responsible for the deposition of Fe and Cu in the Qiaoxiahala deposit. According to these experimental results, we consider that the iron mineralization in Qiaoxiahala is the result of fluid exsolution from basaltic volcanism which was further overprinted by fluids that deposited copper and gold, which may have been sourced from nearby dioritic intrusions.

Keywords

Qiaoxiahala / overprinted mineralization / East Junggar / Fe(-Cu/Au) mineralization / Re-Os age

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