Geology, Geochronology, and Hf Isotopic Composition of the Pha Lek Fe Deposit, Northern Laos: Implications for Early Permian Subduction-Related Skarn Fe Mineralization in the Truong Son Belt

The Truong Son metallogenic belt in central Laos and Vietnam is an important Fe-Cu-Sn-Au polymetallic ore district. The Pha Lek Fe deposit is closely related to Late Carboniferous- Early Permian I-type granitic magmatism, and contains >50 Mt @ 45% to 50% of Fe ore. Ore minerals occur mainly as magnetite and hematite in the skarn alteration zone between a granitic pluton and metamorphosed Middle-Upper Devonian carbonates. The granitic pluton comprises granodiorite and granite, with zircon U-Pb dating indicating synchronous emplacement at 288.2±1.3 and 284.9±1.2 Ma, respectively. Zircons from these granitoids have eHf(t) values of 2.9-11.2 and relatively young TDM2 ages (