Age, Fluid Inclusion, and H–O–S–Pb Isotope Geochemistry of the Superlarge Huaaobaote Ag–Pb–Zn Deposit in the Southern Great Xing’an Range, NE China

Abstract

The superlarge Huaaobaote Ag–Pb–Zn deposit is located on the western slope of the southern Great Xing’an Range (SGXR). The deposit includes four ore blocks, namely, ore blocks I, II, III, and V. Except for the no. I orebody of ore block I, which is hosted in the contact zone between the Carboniferous serpentinized harzburgite and the Permian siltstone, the other orebodies all occur as veins controlled by faults. The mineralization process at the deposit can be divided into four stages: cassiterite–arsenopyrite–pyrite–quartz stage (stage I), cassiterite–chalcopyrite–pyrite–freibergite–arsenopyrite–pyrrhotite–quartz stage (stage II), sphalerite–galena–jamesonite–stibnite–freibergite–silver mineral–quartz–calcite–chlorite stage (stage III), and argentite–pyrargyrite–pyrite–quartz–calcite (stage IV). Cassiterite U–Pb dating of the Huaaobaote deposit yielded ages of 136.3–134.3 Ma, indicating that the deposit formed in the Early Cretaceous period. Two types of fluid inclusions (FIs), including liquid-rich and gas-rich FIs, have been distinguished in the quartz vein and sphalerite. The homogenization temperature during the four stages gradually decreases, with temperatures of 302–340 °C for stage I, 267–304 °C for stage II, 186–273 °C for stage III, and 166–199 °C for stage IV, respectively. The salinity (wt% NaCl eqv.) at stages I, II, III, and IV is 3.7–6.6, 0.2–4.5, 0.2–5.0, and 0.4–1.6, respectively, indicating that the ore-forming fluid is characterized by low salinity. The δ18Owater and δD values of the ore-forming fluid range from −11.9‰ to 7.9‰ and −168‰ to −76‰, respectively, indicating that the ore-forming fluid was dominantly derived from a mixture of magmatic and meteoric water. The calculated δ34SH2S values range from −3.6‰ to 1.2‰, indicating that the sulfur mainly came from granitic magma. The 206Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb, and 208Pb/204Pb ratios of sulfides are in the ranges of 18.195–18.317, 15.509–15.667, and 37.965–38.475, respectively, implying that the ore-forming material was mainly derived from felsic magma that may be formed by the partial melting of orogenic materials. Fluid mixing, cooling, and immiscibility were the three primary mechanisms for mineral precipitation in the Huaaobaote deposit.