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The Yong'an-Meixian Late Paleozoic Hercynian depression, located in western Fujian-eastern Guangdong, is an important metallogenic belt in China. The Yushui copper-polymetallic massive sulfide deposit from the middle part of the depression, with extremely high copper grades, has attracted considerable attention and research interest from geologists for years. In most previous research, the ore-forming material source and metallogenic process were inferred from indirect evidence (i.e., using H-O-C-S isotopic systematics as geochemical tracers). In this paper, the ore-forming process of the Yushui deposit has been studied directly by using nontraditional stable (Fe–Cu) isotopes for the first time, providing new evidence for the genesis of this deposit. The results show that there is a relatively negative Fe-Cu isotopic composition in the Yushui deposit, with δ56Fe values ranging from −0.519 to −1.063‰ and δ65Cu values ranging from −1.539 to −1.609‰, respectively. The fractionation of Fe isotopes is primarily attributed to hydrothermal leaching of the basement strata by ore-forming fluids, along with rapid precipitation of sulfides during the ore-forming process. On the other hand, the fractionation of Cu isotopes is probably controlled by the relatively low temperature of ore formation, sulfide precipitation and the involvement of organic matter in mineralization. Combining our findings with previous studies, the ore-forming materials of the Yushui deposit are likely derived from the basement ore-bearing strata (pre-Devonian strata) through leaching by hydrothermal fluids. Moreover, some of the ore bodies might have been locally overprinted by late-stage hydrothermal reworking and alteration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has the largest W reserves in the world, which are mainly concentrated in south China. Although previous studies have been carried out on whether mantle material is incorporated in granites associated with W deposits, the conclusions have been inconsistent. However, rare gas isotopes can be used to study the contribution of mantle-to-W mineralization. In this paper, we investigated the He and Ar isotope compositions of fluid inclusions in pyrite and wolframite from the Xingluokeng ultra-large W-Mo deposit to evaluate the origin of ore-forming fluids and discuss the contribution of the mantle-to-tungsten mineralization. The He-Ar isotopic compositions showed that the 3He/4He ratios of the ore-forming fluid of the Xingluokeng deposit ranged from 0.14 to 1.01 Ra (Ra is the 3He/4He ratio of air, 1 Ra = 1.39 × 10−6), with an average of 0.58 Ra, which is between the 3He/4He ratios of mantle fluids and crustal fluids, suggesting that the mantle-derived He was added to the mineralizing fluid, with a mean of 8.7%. The 40Ar/36Ar ratios of these samples ranged from 361 to 817, with an average of 578, between the atmospheric 40Ar/36Ar and the crustal and/or mantle 40Ar/36Ar. The results of the He-Ar isotopes from Xingluokeng W-Mo deposit showed that the ore-forming fluid of the deposit was not the product of the evolution of pure crustal melt. The upwelling mantle plays an important role in the formation of tungsten deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Qinxi silver deposit is located in eastern Fujian Province, South China. It is hosted in the late Jurassic Nanyuan volcanic unit and controlled spatially by structural alteration zone. The origins of the deposit are understood poorly. In this study, systematic field geology, precise sulfide geochronology, and H–O–S–Pb isotope analyses were carried out. The symbiotic minerals and ore assemblages are interpreted as evidence that Qinxi ore is a typical middle to low temperature hydrothermal deposit. Galena and sphalerite from the ore yield a Rb–Sr isochronal age of 130 ± 2.0 Ma (MSWD = 1.7), and single galena samples yield a Rb–Sr isochronal age of 130 ± 7.1 Ma (MSWD = 2) and are evidence that the ore was formed in the early Cretaceous period. The silver-bearing quartz vein has O:H and 18O:16O ratios intermediately between magmatic and meteoric water (δ18 Owater-smow from −2.50‰ to −0.1‰ and δDv-smow from −73.6‰ to −60.7‰). The δ34 S values of metal sulfide are close to the primitive mantle sulfur values (δ34S = −1.7 to 7.1‰, avg. = 0.92‰). The Pb isotopic compositions from the ore are similar to those of the hosted volcanic unit, with a value between the upper crust and mantle isotope composition (206Pb/204Pb = 18.421~18.605, 207Pb/204Pb = 15.580~15.772, 208Pb/204Pb = 38.591~39.183). Lead–zinc sulfides have mature crustal-derived Sr isotopic features ((87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.7103). Thus, the metallogenic source materials mainly came from the crust. Moreover, regional geological studies suggest that the Qinxi ore deposit was likely formed in an extensional terrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesozoic porphyritic rocks from the Zijinshan area, southwestern Fujian Province, China, are andesitic to rhyolitic in composition. The whole-rock SiO2 contents of these rocks are between 62.5% and 78.1%. Magmatic zircon from the Mesozoic porphyritic rocks was determined via secondary-ionization mass spectrometry (SIMS) for the U-Pb age and Hf and O isotopes. The zircon U-Pb ages could be mainly divided into three age groups: Group 1: ~138.8 Ma; Group 2: 109.2~107.4 Ma; and Group 3: 99.7~98.2 Ma. The εHf(t) and δ18O values of the porphyritic zircons showed that the porphyritic rocks in Group 2 were more affected by mantle-derived magma. Combined with previous research results, the medium-acidic magmatism in the southwestern Fujian Province can be divided into eight periods: Paleoproterozoic, Mesoproterozoic, Middle Neoproterozoic, Silurian to Lower Devonian, Permian to Triassic, Middle Jurassic to early Lower Cretaceous, late Lower Cretaceous, and late Lower Cretaceous to early Upper Cretaceous. The Paleoproterozoic crust was the predominant magmatic source for the subsequent Mesoproterozoic to Jurassic magmatism, but the only melts that were closely related to mineralization were derived from partial melting of the Mesoproterozoic crust and a more depleted upper mantle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]