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Oscillatory zoned garnets are widespread in the Haobugao skarn‐type copper–lead–zinc–iron polymetallic deposit, and they can record garnet growing process in the early stages of metallogenesis. In order to investigate the skarn‐forming process and hydrothermal fluid evolution of the Haobugao deposit, major, trace, and rare earth element (REE) contents of oscillatory zoned garnets were analysed by electron probe microscope analysis (EPMA) and laser‐ablation inductively‐coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) techniques. Three distinct generations of garnets were identified: the first generation garnets (Grt I) are Fe‐rich, euhedral, fine‐ to coarse‐grained, isotropic, show characteristic concentric oscillatory zoning, and have light rare earth element (LREE)‐enriched and heavy rare earth element (HREE)‐depleted REE patterns, with strong positive Eu anomalies and low ΣREE concentrations. The second generation garnets (Grt II) are Al‐rich, anhedral to subhedral, anisotropic, with abundant oscillatory zoning alone the growth lines, and have LREE‐depleted and HREE‐enriched REE patterns, with negligible Eu anomalies and relatively higher ΣREE concentrations. The third generation garnets (Grt III) are anhedral, anisotropic and generally occurred at the rim of pre‐existing Grt I or beside fractures that cut through the pre‐existing Grt I crystals. All these three generations garnets show oscillatory zoning under an optical microscope and have different compositions from each other, but there's limited chemical zoning (such as bell‐shaped zoning of major elements) in each individual garnet crystal. The texture and composition characteristics of the garnets indicate that the Grt I is precipitated rapidly from high temperature and oxidized magmatic fluids by advective metasomatism, in a high water/rock ratio condition; the Grt II is precipitated from low temperature residual fluids that were in equilibrium with the host rock by diffusive metasomatism, in a low water/rock ratio condition; and the Grt III is formed by retrograde hydrothermal‐metasomatic alteration of pre‐existing garnets. The incorporation of REE into garnet is controlled by its crystal chemistry and fluid composition, dominated by the YAG (yttrium aluminium garnet) ‐type substitution mechanism X2+−1VIIIREE3++1VIIISi4+−1IVZ3++1IV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Great Xing'an Range in north‐eastern China hosts numerous super‐large Ag–Pb–Zn deposits and some Fe–Sn deposits. The Mesozoic Haobugao Fe–Zn polymetallic skarn deposit in the southern Great Xing'an Range is contemporaneous with the regional Ag–Pb–Zn mineralization. Numerous ore bodies are hosted in the Lower Permian carbonate strata or along the contact with the Early Cretaceous granite. According to the field and systematic petrography and mineralography research, the Haobugao mineralization phases are divided into 3 paragenetic stages: prograde stage, retrograde stage, and sulphide stage. Magnetite mainly occurred in the retrograde stage and replaced the anhydrous skarn minerals (e.g., garnet and diopside). Two types of magnetite (Mag1 and Mag2), including 6 subtypes, can be distinguished based on the scanning electron microscopy and back scattered electron images. Electron probe microanalysis and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer analysis were used to determine major and trace elements in different types of magnetite. Mag1 has higher Ti and V concentrations than Mag2, indicating a relatively higher depositional temperature. Mag1 also contains relatively higher Mg and Mn concentrations, coupled with much lower Si and Al concentrations, which reflects a low fluid/rock ratio at the site of Mag1 deposition. Element variation features of Mag1 and Mag2 reveal that the Haobugao mineralization fluids gradually evolved from high‐temperature and low fluid/rock ratio fluids to relatively low‐temperature and high fluid/rock ratio fluids. However, electron probe microanalysis data of Mag2 display significantly higher Sn concentrations (up to 2.82 wt.%) than that in Mag1, which indicates that Sn can be incorporated into magnetite crystal lattice. We propose a possible substitution mechanism of Sn4+ + Mn2+ = 2Fe3+, supported by the strongly positive correlation between Sn4+ and Mn2+, whereby a substitution of Sn4+ for Fe3+ in octahedral sites of magnetite requires a compensatory substitution of Mn2+ for Fe3+ to maintain the charge balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Huanggang iron–tin polymetallic skarn deposit is located in the southern Great Xing'an Range. According to the ore types and mineral assemblages, the paragenetic sequence of the Huanggang deposit can be divided into three stages, and these magnetite grains were mainly formed at the retrograde and sulphide skarn stages. The magnetite (sample HG12‐13) from the early retrograde stage is represented by fine‐grained magnetite cutting across coarse‐grained magnetite surrounded by quartz and calcite. The magnetite (sample HG12‐73) from the late retrograde stage is locally replaced by haematite along the margin or interior and is surrounded by calcite. The magnetite (sample HG12‐88) from the early sulphide stage is characterized by obvious core–rim textural features. The magnetite (sample HG‐62) from the late sulphide stage is featured by zone‐like magnetite occurring along the margin and interior of the primary magnetite. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to obtain trace element concentrations of magnetite from the different mineralization stages in order to better understand the geochemical variations in the ore‐forming process. Some magnetite grains have abnormally high Mg, Al, K, Cu, Zn, and Sn due to the presence of numerous inclusions (e.g., chlorite, sylvite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and cassiterite). In general, magnetite grains from the different mineralization stages demonstrate similar bulk continental crust normalized trace elements patterns, suggesting that they share a similar origin. The increasing Si + Al/Mg + Mn ratios and decreasing Mg + Mn contents for magnetite show an increasing fluid–rock ratio from the retrograde to sulphide stage. Co contents of magnetite decrease abruptly from the retrograde stage to the sulphide stage, whereas Mn contents show the reverse trend, which is affected by minerals coprecipitating with magnetite. A zoned magnetite from the sulphide stage shows decreasing Ti and V contents from core to outer rim; the variation of Ti and V may be related to the temperature or oxygen fugacity. Magnetite compositions from the Huanggang deposit are similar to those from Fe, Cu‐polymetallic, or other skarn deposits, but display more variable compositions than previously presented. Our study demonstrates that the evolution of magnetite in the skarn deposit and trace element of magnetite could be a powerful tool in determining the origin of skarn iron deposit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]