Rare-earth element mobility during ore-forming hydrothermal alteration: A case study of Dongping gold deposit Hebei Province,China

REE mobility during hydrothermal ore-forming processes has been extensively investigated in recent years and the potential of REE to provide information about ore forming processes has commonly been recognized. The Dongping gold deposit, which is located in northwestern Hebei Province, China, occurring in the inner contact zone of the Shuiquangou syenite complex, is spatially, and probably genetically, related to the syenite. The deposit was formed under the moderate to high temperature (220°C to 320°C ), weakly acidic to weakly alkaline, rather high environment. The REE study of the host rocks, altered wall rocks, ores and gangue minerals from the deposit suggests that the REEs have been mobilized and differentiated during K-feldspathization and silicification. The extremely altered syenite enveloping auriferous quartz vein shows positive Ce anomaly and larger LREE/HREE ratio than that of the unaltered syenite. The REE concentrations and patterns of the ores are determined by the ore types and mineral assemblages. LREE/HREE ratios in the gangue quartz and hydrothermal K-feldspars are relatively low. The most significant observation is that the gangue quartz shows significant positive Eu anomaly, whereas the hydrothermal K-feldspars show less significant or no positive Eu anomaly at all relative to the primary feldspar in the unaltered syenite. It is evident that the REEs are mobile during K-feldspathization and silicification in the ore forming process. Weak to moderate K-feldspathization caused REE mobility without apparent differentiation with the exception of extreme K-feldspathization and silicification which resulted in significant depletion of HREE and Eu and relative enrichment of Ce. The REE, Y, U, Th and Au contents of the syenite decrease as the degrees of K-feldspathization and silicification of the rocks increase towards the auriferous quartz veins. As the ores were deposited under a rather oxidized environment, Ce⁴⁺ predominated over Ce³⁺. The precipitation of the former in the form of CeO₂ or absorpted onto the secondary mineral assemblage resulted in the inconsistent removal of the REE and the relative Ce enrichment in the strongly altered rocks. In contrast, Eu was present mainly in a low valence state (Eu²⁺ ). The geochemical differences from the other REE³⁺ and much less sites in the secondary minerals to accommodate the Eu released from the original minerals resulted in the enrichment of Eu in the fluids. The mobility and differentiation of REE and the coherent mobilities of Y, U, Th and Au also support the argument that the syenite is one of the source rocks for gold mineralization. The REE contents and patterns of the altered rocks enveloping the auriferous quartz vein could be used as a guide for locating ore veins in mineral exploration. This research project was supported jointly by the ‘Eighth-Five Year Plan Period’ National Climbing Project (KY-85-12-06-02, B85-34-05A-05) sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Headquarters of Armed Police for Gold Resources (95-Y-25).