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Characteristics of the Late Devonian Tsagaan Suvarga Cu–Mo deposit, Southern Mongolia

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Abstract

The Late Devonian Tsagaan Suvarga deposit (255 Mt at 0.55% Cu, 0.02% Mo) is located on the NW margin of the Tsagaan Suvarga Complex (TSC), which extends ENE over 15 × 10 km and comprises mainly medium-grained equigranular hornblende-biotite quartz monzonite and monzodiorite. Distinct mineralized intrusions are inferred from distribution of Cu–Mo mineralization but are not clearly discernible. The Tsagaan Suvarga Complex is a window within Carboniferous volcanic and sedimentary rocks, and wall rocks to the TSC are not known or exposed in the nearby district. Whole-rock analyses and Sr–Nd isotopes, 87Sr/86Sr0 = 0.7027 to 0.7038 (n = 12) and εNd0 = + 4.26 to + 2.77 (n = 12), show that the granitoids are subduction-related I-type, high K-calc-alkaline to shoshonitic series and derived from a mantle source. They exhibit fractionated light rare earth elements, without depleted Eu and depleted middle heavy rare earth elements and Y, typical of oxidized, fertile porphyry magmatic suites. Early porphyry-style quartz veins include A- and B-type. Molybdenite occurs in monomineralic veins (1–5 mm) or A veins. Copper mineralization occurs mainly as chalcopyrite and subordinate bornite, disseminated and associated with quartz–muscovite veins. Pyrite (vol%) content is less than chalcopyrite and bornite combined. Deep oxidation to about 50 m depth has formed zones of malachite and covellite in late fractures. The most important alteration is actinolite–biotite–chlorite–magnetite replacing hornblende and primary biotite. Quartz–K-feldspar alteration is minor. Late albite replaces primary K-feldspar and enhances sodic rims on plagioclase crystals. Quartz–muscovite (or sericitic alteration) overprints actinolite–biotite and porphyry-type quartz veins. Field observations and petrographic studies suggest that the bulk of the chalcopyrite–bornite mineralization at the Tsagaan Suvarga formed together with coarse muscovite alteration.

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Acknowledgements

The senior author (NT) is grateful to Yun-Hsin Liu, Huai-Jen Yang, Daizo Ishiyama, Toshio Mizuta, and Akira Imai for their help and support with geochemical and isotopic analyses and to Dembrel Orolmaa and Chadraabal Gerelhuu for helpful discussions. The authors are grateful to two Mineralium Deposita reviewers, Douglas Kirwin and Yasushi Watanabe for helpful and incisive comments that have considerably improved the final text. Douglas Kirwin also pointed out the likely origin of the large quartz body in the roof of the TSC. Kincora Copper Ltd. is acknowledged for permission to publish the whole-rock data from reference sample 10624.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Paleontology and Geology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

    Naidansuren Tungalag

  2. School of Geology and Mining Engineering, Mongolian University of Science and Technology, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

    Sereenen Jargalan

  3. Plus Minerals LLC, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

    Bat-Erdene Khashgerel & Imants Kavalieris

  4. Mongolyn Alt (MAK) Corporation, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

    Chuluunbaatar Mijiddorj

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  1. Naidansuren Tungalag
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  2. Sereenen Jargalan
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  3. Bat-Erdene Khashgerel
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  4. Chuluunbaatar Mijiddorj
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  5. Imants Kavalieris
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Correspondence to Naidansuren Tungalag.

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Tungalag, N., Jargalan, S., Khashgerel, BE. et al. Characteristics of the Late Devonian Tsagaan Suvarga Cu–Mo deposit, Southern Mongolia. Miner Deposita 54, 369–380 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00126-018-0812-6

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