Multistage Carbonatization and Mineral Geochemistry of a Skarn—type Copper Deposit at Tongshan ,Guichi

Multistage carbonatization and mineral geochemistry of a skarn-type copper deposit at Tongshan,Guichi

The Tongshan copper deposit at Guichi can be considered as a skarn-type copper deposit. Multi-stage carbonatization was well developed in the skarn zone and copper-bearing orebodies. Mineralogy, mineral chemistry and stable isotope data allow it to be divided into five stages: (1) carbonatization of single calcite crystals in the skarn stage; (2) calcite carbonatization in the oxide stage; (3) carbonatization in the early sulfide stage; (4) carbonatization in the late sulfide stage; and (5) carbonatization in the post-sulfide stage. Carbonatization in the early sulfide stage is, among other things, closely related to copper mineralization and is one of the alteration indicators of copper mineralization of this type. C. O, Rb and Sr isotopic studies indicate that the calcites of skarn and oxide stages were formed from hydrothermal solutions predominated by magmatic water, and those of sulfide stage were formed from hydrothermal solutions mainly involving heated meteoric water. The former was formed in the environment wherefO ₂ (fO ₂ < 10⁻³³ and 10⁻³³< fO₂>10⁻³⁶)(pH = 7–8) is high as compared with the latter (10⁻³⁵< fO₂< 10⁻³⁸; pH = 5–7).