Quartz Rb-Sr Isochron Ages of Two Type Orebodies from the Nibao Carlin-type Gold Deposit, Guizhou, China

Abstract

The Nibao gold deposit, which includes both fault-controlled and strata-bound gold orebodies, constitutes an important part of the Yunnan–Guizhou–Guangxi “Golden Triangle” region. Defining the mineralization age of these gold orebodies may provide additional evidence for constraining the formation ages of low-temperature orebodies and their metallogenic distribution in South China. Petrographic studies of gold-bearing pyrites and ore-related quartz veins indicate that these pyrites coexist with quartz or filled in vein-like quartz, which suggests a possible genetic relationship between the two from Nibao gold deposit. Minerals chemistry shows that Rb and Sr are usually hosted in fluid inclusions in quartz ranging from 0.0786 to 2.0760 ppm and 0.1703 to 2.1820 ppm, respectively. The Rb–Sr isotopic composition of gold-bearing quartz-hosted fluid inclusions from the Nibao gold deposit were found to have Rb–Sr isochron ages of 142 ± 3 and 141 ± 2 Ma for both fault-controlled and strata-bound orebodies, respectively, adding more evidence to previous studies and thus revealing a regional gold mineralization age of 148–134 Ma. These results also confirm the Middle-Late Yanshanian mineralizing events of Carlin-type gold deposits in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi Provinces of Southwest China. In addition, previous studies indicated that antimony deposits in the region which were formed at ca. 148–126 Ma have a close affinity with gold deposits. This illustrates that the regional low-temperature hydrothermal gold mineralization is related in space and time to the Yanshanian (ca. 146–115 Ma) magmatic activity. Specifically, the large-scale gold and antimony mineralization are considered to be inherently related to mantle-derived mafic and ultramafic magmatic rocks associated with an extensional tectonic environment. Based on the initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 0.70844 ± 0.00022 (2σ) and 0.70862 ± 0.00020 (2σ) for gold-bearing quartz veins from fault-controlled and strata-bound gold orebodies, respectively, at the Nibao gold deposit, as well as the C, H, O, and S isotopic characteristics of gold deposits located in the Golden Triangle region, we suggest that the mantle-derived material can be involved in the formation of the Nibao gold deposit and that the ore-forming fluid can be derived from a mixed crust–mantle source.