Evolution of Hydrothermal System at the Dizon Porphyry Cu-Au Deposit, Zambales, Philippines

Abstract. Evolution of hydrothermal system from initial porphyry Cu mineralization to overlapping epithermal system at the Dizon porphyry Cu‐Au deposit in western central Luzon, Zambales, Philippines, is documented in terms of mineral paragen‐esis, fluid inclusion petrography and microthermometry, and sulfur isotope systematics. The paragenetic stages throughout the deposit are summarized as follows; 1) stockwork amethystic quartz veinlets associated with chalcopyrite, bornite, magnetite and Au enveloped by chlorite alteration overprinting biotite alteration, 2) stockwork quartz veinlets with chalcopyrite and pyrite associated with Au and chalcopyrite and pyrite stringers in sericite alteration, 3) stringer quartz veinlets associated with molybdenite in sericite alteration, and 4) WNW‐trending quartz veins associated with sphalerite and galena at deeper part, while enargite and stibnite at shallower levels associated with advanced argillic alteration. Chalcopyrite and bornite associated with magnetite in quartz veinlet stockwork (stage 1) have precipitated initially as intermediate solid solution (iss) and bornite solid solution (bnss), respectively. Fluid inclusions in the stockwork veinlet quartz consist of gas‐rich inclusions and polyphase inclusions. Halite in polyphase inclusions dissolves at temperatures ranging from 360d?C to >500d?C but liquid (brine) and gas (vapor) do not homogenize at <500d?C. The maximum pressure and minimum temperature during the deposition of iss and bnss with stockwork quartz veinlets are estimated to be 460 bars and 500d?C. Fluid inclusions in veinlet stockwork quartz enveloped in sericite alteration (stage 2) consist mainly of gas‐rich inclusions and polyphase inclusions. In addition to the possible presence of saturated NaCl crystals at the time of entrapment of fluid inclusions that exhibit the liquid‐vapor homogenization temperatures lower than the halite dissolution temperatures in some samples, wide range of temperatures of halite dissolution and liquid‐vapor homogenization of polyphase inclusions from 230d?C to >500d?C and from 270d?C to >500d?C, respectively, suggests heterogeneous entrapment of gaseous vapor and hypersaline brine. The minimum pressure and temperature are estimated to be about 25 bars and 245d?C. Fluid inclusions in veinlet quartz associated with molybdenite (stage 3) are dominated by gas‐rich inclusions accompanied with minor liquid‐rich inclusions that homogenize at temperatures between 350d?C and 490d?C. Fluid inclusions in vuggy veinlet quartz associated with stibnite (stage 4) consist mainly of gas‐rich inclusions with subordinate polyphase inclusions that do not homogenize below 500d?C. Fluid inclusions in veinlet quartz associated with galena and sphalerite (stage 4) are composed of liquid‐rich two‐phase inclusions, and they homogenize into liquid phase at temperatures ranging widely from 190d?C to 300d?C (suggesting boiling) and the salinity ranges from 1.0 wt% to 3.4 wt% NaCl equivalent. A pressure of about 15 bars is estimated for the dilute aqueous solution of 190d?C from which veinlet quartz associated with galena and sphalerite precipitated. In addition to a change in temperature‐pressure regime from lithostatic pressure during the deposition of iss and bnss with stockwork quartz veinlets to hydrostatic pressure during fracture‐controlled quartz veinlet associated with galena and sphalerite, a decrease in pressure is supposed to have occurred due to unroofing or removal of the overlying piles during the temperature decrease in the evolution of hydrothermal system. The majority of the sulfur isotopic composition of sulfides ranges from ±0 % to +5 %. Sulfur originated from an iso‐topically uniform and homogeneous source, and the mineralization occurred in a single hydrothermal system.     

Magma evolution and the formation of porphyry Cu–Au ore fluids: evidence from silicate and sulfide melt inclusions

Silicate and sulfide melt inclusions from the andesitic Farallón Negro Volcanic Complex in NW Argentina were analyzed by laser ablation ICPMS to track the behavior of Cu and Au during magma evolution, and to identify the processes in the source of fluids responsible for porphyry-Cu-Au mineralization at the 600 Mt Bajo de la Alumbrera deposit. The combination of silicate and sulfide melt inclusion data with previously published geological and geochemical information indicates that the source of ore metals and water was a mantle-derived mafic magma that contained approximately 6 wt.% H₂O and 200 ppm Cu. This magma and a rhyodacitic magma mixed in an upper-crustal magma chamber, feeding the volcanic systems and associated subvolcanic intrusions over 2.6 million years. Generation of the ore fluid from this magma occurred towards the end of this protracted evolution and probably involved six important steps: (1) Generation of a sulfide melt upon magma mixing in some parts of the magma chamber. (2) Partitioning of Cu and Au into the sulfide melt (enrichment factor of 10,000 for Cu) leading to Cu and Au concentrations of several wt.% or ppm, respectively. (3) A change in the tectonic regime from local extension to compression at the end of protracted volcanism. (4) Intrusion of a dacitic magma stock from the upper part of the layered magma chamber. (5) Volatile exsolution and resorption of the sulfide melt from the lower and more mafic parts of the magma chamber, generating a fluid with a Cu/Au ratio equal to that of the precursor sulfide. (6) Focused fluid transport and precipitation of the two metals in the porphyry, yielding an ore body containing Au and Cu in the proportions dictated by the magmatic fluid source. The Cu/S ratio in the sulfide melt inclusions requires that approximately 4,000 ppm sulfur is extracted from the andesitic magma upon mixing. This exceeds the solubility of sulfide or sulfate in either of the silicate melts and implies an additional source for S. The extra sulfur could be added in the form of anhydrite phenocrysts present in the rhyodacitic magma. It appears, thus, that unusually sulfur-rich, not Cu-rich magmas are the key to the formation of porphyry-type ore deposits. Our observations imply that dacitic intrusions hosting the porphyry–Cu–Au mineralization are not representative of the magma from which the ore-fluid exsolved. The source of the ore fluid is the underlying more mafic magma, and unaltered andesitic dikes emplaced immediately after ore formation are more likely to represent the magma from which the fluids were generated. At Alumbrera, these andesitic dikes carry relicts of the sulfide melt as inclusions in amphibole. Sulfide inclusions in similar dykes of other, less explored magmatic complexes may be used to predict the Au/Cu ratio of potential ore-forming fluids and the expected metal ratio in any undiscovered porphyry deposit.Editorial handling: B. Lehmann     

大兴安岭北段争光金矿床成因探讨:来自流体包裹体及稳定同位素的制约

争光浅成低温热液型金矿床位于大兴安岭成矿带北段,是多宝山矿集区内的一个重要矿床。文章通过流体包裹体和C_H_O_He_Ar同位素的系统研究,对该矿床成矿流体和矿床成因进行了深入探讨。矿床成矿作用可划分为4个主要阶段:石英_黄铁矿阶段(成矿前阶段)、石英_多金属硫化物阶段(主成矿阶段)、方解石_(石英)_多金属硫化物阶段(主成矿阶段)和方解石阶段(成矿后阶段)。流体包裹体研究表明,争光金矿床主要发育富液相流体包裹体。石英_黄铁矿阶段、方解石_(石英)_多金属硫化物阶段和方解石阶段流体包裹体的均一温度分别介于116~243℃(集中于150~170℃)、129~294℃(集中于140~160℃)和130~155℃(集中于130~150℃);w(NaCleq)分别介于0.9%~10.1%、1.2%~13.8%和2.7%~8.7%。成矿流体具有低温、低盐度、相对还原的特征,属H_2O_Na Cl体系。石英_黄铁矿阶段成矿流体的δD和δ18O分别为-127‰~-110‰和-5.9‰~0.6‰,蚀变围岩的δD值和δ18O值分别为-118‰~-108‰和6.3‰~7.9‰。方解石_(石英)_多金属硫化物阶段和方解石阶段方解石的δ~(13)C分别为-5.3‰~-2.0‰和-2.9‰~-2.2‰,δ18O分别为7.7‰~9.3‰和9.9‰~13.5‰。黄铁矿流体包裹体的~3He/~4He、~(40)Ar/~(36)Ar和~(40)Ar*/4He比值分别为1.75~3.06 Ra、683~1295和0.30~0.63。综合流体包裹体特征和稳定同位素组成,认为成矿早阶段成矿流体为大气降水与围岩发生水_岩反应后的演化水。随着成矿作用的进行,成矿流体变为大气降水与岩浆水的混合水,但仍以大气降水为主导。成矿流体与贫H_2S的流体混合和硫化物沉淀的共同作用可能是该矿床金沉淀的主要机制。     

浙江省绍兴市平水金矿体流体包裹体研究 与矿床成因

浙江平水铜矿位于钦杭成矿带北东段浙西北地区,是浙江省最大的铜矿床,前人研究表明其为典型的火山成因块状硫化物矿床（Chen 等, 2015）。平水铜矿体在新元古代形成之后,该地区经历了加里东的变质变形作用,在铜矿体的下盘普遍发育千糜岩带（韧性剪切带）,本项目组在研究过程中认为千糜岩带与铜矿无关,但明确提出本区可能存在造山型金矿,继而老矿山接替资源勘查在平水铜矿布置了10个坑内钻孔,其中9个见矿,成功的在平水深部发现两层金矿体和一层铜矿体。金矿体严格的受韧性剪切带的控制;金矿石有明显的宏观和微观韧性变形结构;矿石矿物主要是自然金和少量的黄铁矿,脉石矿物主要有石英、绢云母、绿泥石、碳酸盐和白云石。本文主要对平水金矿体开展流体包裹体研究,结合矿床地质特征,最终确定金矿体成因类型,为平水地区下一轮深边部找矿勘查提供依据。     

Origin and evolution of geothermal fluids from Las Tres Vírgenes and Cerro Prieto fields,Mexico – Co-genetic volcanic activity and paleoclimatic constraints

Major and trace elements, noble gases, and stable (δD, δ¹⁸O) and cosmogenic (³H, ¹⁴C) isotopes were measured from geothermal fluids in two adjacent geothermal areas in NW-Mexico, Las Tres Vírgenes (LTV) and Cerro Prieto (CP). The goal is to trace the origin of reservoir fluids and to place paleoclimate and structural-volcanic constraints in the region. Measured ³He/⁴He (R) ratios normalized to the atmospheric value (R_a = 1.386 × 10⁻⁶) vary between 2.73 and 4.77 and are compatible with mixing between a mantle component varying between 42 and 77% of mantle helium and a crustal, radiogenic He component with contributions varying between 23% and 58%. Apparent U–Th/⁴He ages for CP fluids (0.7–7 Ma) suggest the presence of a sustained ⁴He flux from a granitic basement or from mixing with connate brines, deposited during the Colorado River delta formation (1.5–3 Ma). Radiogenic in situ ⁴He production age modeling at LTV, combined with the presence of radiogenic carbon (1.89 ± 0.11 pmC – 35.61 ± 0.28 pmC) and the absence of tritium strongly suggest the Quaternary infiltration of meteoric water into the LTV geothermal reservoir, ranging between 4 and 31 ka BP. The present geochemical heterogeneity of LTV fluids can be reconstructed by mixing Late Pleistocene – Early Holocene meteoric water (58–75%) with a fossil seawater component (25–42%), as evidenced by Br/Cl and stable isotope trends. CP geothermal water is composed of infiltrated Colorado River water with a minor impact by halite dissolution, whereas a vapor-dominated sample is composed of Colorado River water and vapor from deeper levels. δD values for the LTV meteoric end-member, which are 20‰–44‰ depleted with respect to present-day precipitation, as well as calculated annual paleotemperatures 6.9–13.6 °C lower than present average temperatures in Baja California point to the presence of humid and cooler climatic conditions in the Baja California peninsula during the final stage of the Last Glacial Pluvial period. Quaternary recharge of the LTV geothermal reservoir is related to elevated precipitation rates during cooler-humid climate intervals in the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene. The probable replacement of connate water or pore fluids by infiltrating surface water might have been triggered by enhanced fracture and fault permeability through contemporaneous tectonic–volcanic activity in the Las Tres Vírgenes region. Fast hydrothermal alteration processes caused a secondary, positive δ¹⁸O-shift from 4‰ to 6‰ for LTV and from 2‰ to 4‰ for CP geothermal fluids since the Late Glacial infiltration.     

Logs Fluid Typing Methods and Adaptive Analysis of Tight Sandstone Reservoir of Yingcheng Formation in Lishu Fault

Tight clastic reservoirs are characterized with low porosity and low permeability, which reduce contributions of reservoir fluids to geophysical logging responses, and it is more difficult to identify fluids of the reservoir. Therefore, it is necessary to study log interpretation and comprehensive evaluation methods for such clastic reservoirs. This study focused on geological characteristics of tight clastic reservoir of Yingcheng formation in Lishu Fault. Based on logs sensitivity to fluids, some fluid typing methods were discussed in detail, which included log curve overlap method, acoustic time overlapping method from density and neutron logs, porosity difference and ratio method, porosity-resistivity crossplot, normal distribution method, and other methods, and some effective fluid evaluation method were established and optimized. These above-mentioned methods were verified, which could achieve layer qualitative identification of tight sandstone in the study area. By contrast, two logs overlapping methods, porosity difference and ratio method, resistivity-porosity crossplot are more suitable for natural gas reservoirs, while porosity difference and ratio method, porosity-resistivity chart, normal distribution method are more suitable for oil and water reservoirs. The case study suggests that these methods be combined to archive more correct log interpretation in the study area, which provides important decision-making reference for oilfield exploration and development.     

WFSD-4S孔流体地球化学特征

本文开展汶川地震断裂带科学钻探现场流体研究,探讨了泥浆添加剂产生的化学反应以及钻孔中岩性变化引起的流体异常特征,并在排除这些影响因素的情况下,讨论地震期间流体的异常。研究表明在WFSD-4S钻进期间发生的两次较大地震前均伴有Rn、Ar、N2和O2等气体异常现象,其中氡的日均值均超出背景值的2.5倍。根据岩心观察得到WFSD-4S钻井地区主断层约在1084 m,而在断层之上931 m处开始出现了大量气体的高值异常,该异常可能是由于地震孕育过程中地下气体的运移通道被打开造成气体向上迁移,使断层气体的响应特征提前发生。     

新疆伊宁县塔吾尔别克金矿床流体包裹体特征研究及矿床成因

塔吾尔别克金矿床是西天山吐拉苏断陷盆地中一个重要的金矿床。矿体主要赋存于早石炭世二长斑岩及大哈拉军组第五岩性段安山岩、蚀变凝灰岩中,受断裂构造控制,矿床围岩蚀变作用普遍而强烈。矿石金属矿物主要为黄铁矿、自然金、赤铁矿和黄铜矿等,非金属矿物主要为石英、斜长石、方解石等。成矿过程大致划分为3个成矿阶段:1石英-黄铁矿阶段;2石英-硫化物脉阶段;3石英-碳酸盐阶段。石英及方解石中流体包裹体类型简单,主要为气液两相水包裹体和纯液相水包裹体。包裹体测试均一温度为100~196℃,流体盐度为0.0%~7.3%(质量分数,NaCl_(eq)),流体密度为0.9~1.0 g/cm~3,计算出成矿压力为5.2~81.9 MPa,对应成矿深度为0.5~7.4 km。塔吾尔别克金矿床成矿流体包裹体显示低温度、低盐度和较低密度的流体特征,表明成矿压力小和深度较浅。结合矿床地质特征、流体包裹体特征及前人研究成果,初步认为该矿床为浅成低温热液型金矿床。     

滇东南安那金矿床成矿流体地球化学研究

云南安那金矿床位于右江盆地南缘,产于二叠纪辉绿岩侵入体之中,广泛发育乳白色石英网脉,蚀变辉绿岩体即为金矿体。与右江盆地以沉积岩为容矿岩石的卡林型金矿床类似,具有硅化、粘土化、碳酸盐化和硫化物化等热液蚀变特征。本文对安那金矿床石英中的流体包裹体岩相学、显微测温学、激光拉曼光谱以及氢氧同位素组成进行了分析,发现成矿期石英中的流体包裹体主要为富含CO_2气-液两相或三相流体包裹体,其均一温度范围为208~312℃(平均254℃),盐度很低,变化范围为0~2%Na Cleqv,成矿溶液的密度为0.88~0.98g/cm~3,表明形成安那金矿床的成矿流体属于中温、低盐度、中-低密度的流体。激光拉曼光谱分析显示,石英中包裹体的气相成分富含CO_2、N_2以及微量CH_4等挥发分。成矿流体的氢氧同位素组成显示变质流体成因,结合矿石显微岩相学结构,认为流体溶蚀交代辉绿岩中的含Ti-Fe辉石或者钛铁矿,溶解Fe的硫化作用过程是含Au黄铁矿和毒砂沉淀富集的重要机制。成矿作用可能与右江盆地南缘印支期造山事件有关。     

流体包裹体和C-H-O同位素对湘中古台山金矿床成因制约

古台山金矿是湘中盆地最典型的高品位石英脉型金矿床,主要赋存于新元古界和震旦系板岩-千枚岩中。为了探明古台山金矿的成矿物质和成矿流体来源,本次工作对其开展了详细的野外地质考察,对不同阶段石英进行了系统的包裹体岩相学观察、显微测温、激光拉曼探针及H-O同位素分析,对与金矿化密切相关的铁白云石进行了C-O同位素分析。包裹体岩相学及测温结果显示,不同阶段石英主要发育CO_2三相和水溶液两相包裹体,金沉淀阶段CO_2三相包裹体丰度最高,包裹体均一温度集中在180~320℃之间,盐度集中在0~13%NaCleqv之间。激光拉曼显示不同阶段石英包裹体成分主要为H_2O、CO12及少量的CH_4和N_2。不同阶段石英的δ~(18)O_(V-SMOW)变化范围为15.6‰~17.9‰,对应的δ8OH_2O变化范围为4.5‰~8.3‰,δD_(V-SMOW)变化范围-78‰~-49‰,显示成矿过程中有岩浆水参与。铁白云石的δ~(13)C_(PDB)集中在-10.3‰~-8.6‰,δ~(18)O_(V-SMOW)分布在13.9‰~15.7‰之间,暗示成矿流体中的碳主要来自深部岩浆。流体不混溶、CH_4气体存在、围岩及脉体发生硫化-碳酸盐化等因素是导致古台山矿床Au沉淀富集的重要机制。综合上述分析,推测古台山金矿可能是一个非典型的造山型金矿床。