Fluid Evolution, H-O Isotope and Re-Os Age of Molybdenite from the Baiyinhan Tungsten Deposit in the Eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt, NE China, and Its Geological Significance

Abstract

The quartz-vein-type Baiyinhan tungsten deposit is located at the eastern part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, NE China. Analyses of fluid inclusions, H-O isotope of quartz and Re-Os isotope of molybdenite were carried out. Three stages of mineralization were identified: The early quartz + wolframite + bismuth stage, the middle quartz + molybdenite stage and the late calcite + fluorite stage. Quartz veins formed in the three stages were selected for the fluid inclusion analysis. The petrographic observation and fluid inclusion microthermometry results revealed three types of fluid inclusions: CO2-H2O (C-type), liquid-rich (L-type) and vapor-rich (V-type). The homogenization temperatures of C-type, V-type and L-type inclusions were 233–374 °C, 210–312 °C, and 196–311 °C, respectively. The salinity of the three types of inclusions was identical, varying in the range of 5–12 wt%. The H-O isotope analyses results showed that quartz had δ18OH2O and δDSMOW compositions of −2.6‰ to 4.3‰ and −97‰ to −82‰, respectively, indicating that the ore-forming fluids were mainly derived from magmatic water with a minor contribution of meteoric water. The addition of meteoric water reduces the temperature and salinity of the ore-forming fluids, which leads to a decrease of the solubility of tungsten and molybdenum in the fluids and eventually the precipitation of minerals. Re-Os isotopic analysis of five molybdenite samples yielded an isochron age of 139.6 ± 7.6 Ma (2σ) with an initial 187Os of −0.05 ± 0.57 (MSWD = 3.5). Rhenium concentrations of the molybdenite samples were between 3.1 ug/g and 8.5 ug/g. The results suggest that the metals of the Baiyinhan deposit have a crust origin, and the mineralization is one episode of the Early Cretaceous tungsten mineralization epoch which occurred at the eastern part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt.

Genesis of the Aobaotu Pb–Zn deposit in the southern Great Xing'an Range, NE China: Constraints from geochronology and C–H–O–S–Pb isotopic and fluid inclusion studies

“…The sulphur isotopic data for the analysed sulphide samples are presented in Table 4. Taylor, 1974;Wang et al, 2020;R. Wang et al, 2021;Yu et al, 2018).…”

Formation and evolution of multistage hydrothermal fluids in the Baishitouwa quartz–wolframite vein‐type deposit in the southern Great Xing'an Range tungsten belt, NE China: Constraints from individual fluid inclusion LA‐ICP‐MS analysis

“…Quartz–wolframite vein‐type deposits are often associated with highly evolved granites that generally are interpreted to be the source of ore‐forming fluid and metals (e.g., Mao et al, 2013; Zhang et al, 2017; Zhao, Fu, et al, 2021). This perception is mainly derived from geochronological studies of the close temporal–spatial relationship between the granite and the wolframite‐bearing quartz veins (Li, Ni, et al, 2021; Liu et al, 2022; Yang et al, 2022), and the crustal source signature of the fluid source by stable isotopes (e.g., Kelly & Rye, 1979; Li et al, 2018; Wang, Tang, et al, 2021; Wang, Zeng, et al, 2020). Nevertheless, many geological and technical uncertainties still exist, leading to other alternative speculations.…”

“…Carbon dioxide is a common volatile component of mineralizing fluids within magmatic‐hydrothermal deposits (Hagemann & Lüders, 2003; Roedder, 1984). Carbon dioxide‐enriched (or carbonic‐aqueous) mineralizing fluids are widely reported in intrusion‐related quartz–wolframite vein‐type deposits worldwide, such as the Grey River (Higgins, 1985), the Pedra Preta (Rios et al, 2003), the Xihuashan (Giuliani et al, 1988; Wei et al, 2012), the Pangushan (Wang et al, 2010), the Dajishan (Wang et al, 2013), the Xitian (Xiong et al, 2017), the Maoping (Chen et al, 2018), the Yaogangxian (Li et al, 2018; Pan et al, 2019), the Xiangdong (Xiong et al, 2019), and the Baiyinhan (Wang, Zeng, et al, 2020). However, there are two distinct views regarding the role of CO 2 in tungsten mineralization: (1) CO 2 does not contribute to tungsten mineralization because carbonic tungstate complexes are not responsible for the transport of tungsten in hydrothermal fluids (Wang, Qiu, et al, 2020; Wood & Samson, 2000), and CO 2 is absent in wolframite of many tungsten deposits (e.g., Campbell & Panter, 1990; Lueders, 1996; Ni et al, 2015; Wei et al, 2012); or (2) CO 2 does contribute to tungsten mineralization (Higgins, 1980), as many tungsten deposits are rich in CO 2 and loss of CO 2 during immiscibility changes the physicochemical properties of the mineralizing fluids leading to the precipitation of metals (e.g., Bowman et al, 1985; Quilez et al, 1990; So & Yun, 1994).…”

“…Carbon dioxide is a common volatile component of mineralizing fluids within magmatic-hydrothermal deposits (Hagemann & Lüders, 2003;Roedder, 1984). Carbon dioxide-enriched (or carbonic-aqueous) mineralizing fluids are widely reported in intrusion-related quartzwolframite vein-type deposits worldwide, such as the Grey River (Higgins, 1985), the Pedra Preta (Rios et al, 2003), the Xihuashan (Giuliani et al, 1988;Wei et al, 2012), the Pangushan (Wang et al, 2010), the Dajishan (Wang et al, 2013), the Xitian (Xiong et al, 2017), the Maoping (Chen et al, 2018), the Yaogangxian (Li et al, 2018;Pan et al, 2019), the Xiangdong (Xiong et al, 2019), and the Baiyinhan (Wang, Zeng, et al, 2020). However, there are two distinct views regarding the role of CO 2 in tungsten mineralization:…”

Editorial for Special Issue “Critical Metals in Hydrothermal Ores: Resources, Recovery, and Challenges”

“…The nature and composition of the ore-forming fluids, as well as the age of mineralisation of the quartz vein-type Baiyinhan tungsten deposit, NE China, are elucidated by Wang et al [12]. The authors employed a number of analytical techniques to analyse hydrothermal quartz, molybdenite, and wolframite.…”