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Highly Oxidized Magma and Fluid Evolution of Miocene Qulong Giant Porphyry Cu‐Mo Deposit, Southern Tibet, China
Author(s) -
XIAO Bo,
QIN Kezhang,
LI Guangming,
LI Jinxiang,
XIA Daixiang,
CHEN Lei,
ZHAO Junxing
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
resource geology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.597
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1751-3928
pISSN - 1344-1698
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-3928.2011.00177.x
Subject(s) - phenocryst , geology , geochemistry , fluid inclusions , hydrothermal circulation , porphyry copper deposit , anhydrite , plagioclase , magmatic water , quartz , mineralization (soil science) , molybdenite , mineralogy , volcanic rock , volcano , paleontology , gypsum , seismology , soil science , soil water
Abstract The Miocene Qulong porphyry Cu‐Mo deposit, which is located at the Gangdese orogenic belt of Southern Tibet, is the largest porphyry‐type deposit in China, with confirmed Cu ∼10 Mt and Mo ∼0.5 Mt. It is spatially and temporally associated with multiphase granitic intrusions, which is accompanied by large‐scale hydrothermal alteration and mineralization zones, including abundant hydrothermal anhydrite. In addition to hydrothermal anhydrite, magmatic anhydrite is present as inclusions in plagioclase, interstitial minerals between plagioclase and quartz, and phenocrysts in unaltered granodiorite porphyry, usually in association with clusters of sulfur‐rich apatite in the Qulong deposit. These observations indicate that the Qulong magma‐hydrothermal system was highly oxidized and sulfur‐rich. Three main types of fluid inclusions are observed in the quartz phenocrysts and veins in the porphyry: (i) liquid‐rich; (ii) polyphase high‐salinity; and (iii) vapor‐rich inclusions. Homogenization temperatures and salinities of all type inclusions decrease from the quartz phenocrysts in the porphyry to hydrothermal veins (A, B, D veins). Microthermometric study suggests copper‐bearing sulfides precipitated at about 320–400°C in A and B veins. Fluid boiling is assumed for the early stage of mineralization, and these fluids may have been trapped at about 35–60 Mpa at 460–510°C and 28–42 Mpa at 400–450°C, corresponding to trapping depths of 1.4–2.4 km and 1.1–1.7 km, respectively.