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The Shuangwang gold deposit, located in the Fengxian-Taibai fore-arc basin in the western Qinling Orogen of Central China, has yielded over 70 tons of gold. It is an orogenic gold deposit occurring in an NW-trending breccia belt. Most of the ores are hydrothermal breccia type containing fragments of adjacent strata cemented by ankerite and pyrite. Pyrite is the most abundant metallic mineral and the major gold-bearing mineral in the ores. A total of 58 pyrite samples from main ore bodies of the Shuangwang gold deposit have been analysed for 44 trace elements by HR-ICP-MS. Sb, Ba, Cu, Pb, Zn, Bi, Mo, Co are selected as indicator elements to investigate the potential usefulness of trace elements in pyrite as an indicator in gold exploration. The results show that the supra-ore halo elements Sb and Ba, which may have been more active than other near-ore halo elements and sub-ore halo elements, are best to characterize the shape of ore bodies. Five target areas are pointed out for deep ore exploration based on a comprehensive study of supra-ore, near-ore and sub-ore halos. This study provides evidence that trace elements in pyrite can be used to depict the deep extension of ore bodies and to vector towards undiscovered ore bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Shuangwang gold deposit (with a gold resource of approximately 70 t Au), hosted in a NW-trending breccia belt, is located in the Fenxian-Taibai fore-arc basin in the West Qinling Orogen of central China. Four stages of ore paragenesis are identified, demonstrating mineral assemblages of ankerite–quartz–albite, quartz–albite–pyrite–ankerite, pyrite–calcite–quartz, and fluorite–dickite–gypsum, respectively. Fluid inclusions hosted in stages I, II, and III hydrothermal minerals yield homogeneous temperatures of 300–463 °C, 220–340 °C and 100–279 °C, with salinities lower than 22.7 wt% NaCl equiv. Trapping pressures estimated from CO 2 –H 2 O fluid inclusions show a gradual decrease from 100–170 MPa (KT8 ore body) to 17–55 MPa (KT2 ore body), corresponding to mineralization depths from 3.8–6.4 km (KT8) to 0.6–2.1 km (KT2). Hydrogen and oxygen isotopic data suggest that the ore-forming fluids evolved from metamorphic water to magmatic water, and lately meteoric water. Sulfur and carbon isotope compositions show that these fluids might have originated from interaction with the host rocks with minor additional magmatic source. Based on geochemical investigations, with combination of regional and ore deposit geology, a possible genetic model with a three-step ore-forming process is proposed. The Devonian Xinghongpu sedimentary rocks are characterized by a relatively high gold content, which might provide the initial gold source. Linear folds and faults formed during Triassic orogenic processes provided the subsequent pathways for ore-forming fluids and suitable space for gold mineralization. Postorogenic magmatic activity induced voluminous hydrothermal fluids that mixed with the basinal fluids and may have started the ore formation process. Over pressure led to hydrofracturing and the subsequent pressure drop promoted fluid boiling, which in turn resulted in abundant gold deposition. Induced by postorogenic magmatic hydrothermal activity, the Shuangwang gold deposit is considered a special type of orogenic gold deposit formed in a compression–extension transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]