Timing of formation and origin of the Tongchanggou porphyry–skarn deposit: Implications for Late Cretaceous Mo–Cu metallogenesis in the southern Yidun Terrane, SE Tibetan Plateau.

The newly-discovered Tongchanggou Mo–Cu porphyry–skarn deposit is located in the southern Yidun Terrane, SE Tibet, with more than 142.5 metric ton resources (0.3 metric ton @ 0.3% Mo, and 34 kt @ 0.8% Cu) hosted in Permian to Triassic strata and Late Cretaceous granodiorite porphyry. Re–Os isotope analyses of molybdenite separates from skarn, granodiorite porphyry and the massive molybdenite orebody yield model ages ranging from 86.8 to 85.2 Ma. LA-ICP-MS U–Pb dating of zircons from the ore-related granodiorite porphyry give 206 Pb/ 238 U ages ranging from 87.4 to 84.2 Ma with a weighted mean 206 Pb/ 238 U age of 84.8 ± 0.3 Ma, indicating a temporal link between granitic magmatism and Mo–Cu mineralization. Geochemically, the ore-related granodiorite porphyries are metaluminous and have an adakite-like signature with relatively low MgO (1.32–1.58 wt%), Cr (5.6–12.9 ppm), Ni (3.79–10.81 ppm), Mg # (43–52) values, and high Sr (304–844 ppm), Sr/Y (21.2–50.8) and La/Yb ratios (37.0–60.1). They also display negative zircon ε Hf (t) values (− 7.4 to − 1.3) and negative whole-rock ε Nd (t) values (− 5.3 to − 4.2), as well as an older Hf–Nd model age, indicating that their magmas were derived from a thickened ancient lower crust within the garnet–amphibolite facies. Partial melting of ancient lower crust generated felsic magmas with high concentrations of Mo that accumulated within the ancient crustal components. Whereas, the copper mineralization is correlated to the remelting of residual sulfide cumulates in subduction-modified lower crust. The Late Cretaceous porphyry Mo–Cu metallogenesis in the southern Yidun Terrane is considered to be related to the transtensional faulting that triggered asthenospheric upwelling beneath the former sulfide-cumulated arc crust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]