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Implications for metallogenic evolution of the giant Zhenyuan gold deposit (Yunnan, SW China) from textures and geochemical compositions of pyrite

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Abstract

Pyrite, the most common sulfide mineral, is a ubiquitous component of many hydrothermal gold deposits. Geochemical patterns within the refractory pyrite structure represent a valuable repository of information that can help constrain the sources of ore-forming materials, and the evolution of ore-forming processes over time. However, there are still a lot of debates on the mechanisms of physico-chemical processes in ore-forming fluid controlling trace element and sulfur isotope distributions in pyrite during growth. In our manuscript, we use cutting-edge complementary microanalytical methods to understand the origin and evolution of zoned gold-bearing pyrite in samples from the largest gold deposit in the Ailaoshan gold belt, SW China, Zhenyuan (exceeding 100t Au, average grade: 5.3 g/t). Pyrite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, and stibnite are the most abundant sulfide minerals in most orebodies. Of these, pyrite is dominant and is also the most important host for gold. Two types of pyrite can be clearly distinguished: framboidal pyrite and hydrothermal pyrite. Gold is most commonly hosted by hydrothermal pyrite. Framboidal pyrite, mainly hosted by carbonaceous slate, hosts negligible Au, and features low δ34S values ranging from − 35.0 (± 0.9) to − 25.6 (± 1.0)‰. Hydrothermal pyrite is characterized by complex intra-grain zoned textures with alternating As-rich and As-poor bands readily recognizable on backscattered electron images. Scanning electron microscopy and trace-element analyses show that both visible and invisible gold occur only in the As-rich bands. Compared to the As-poor bands (72.1% of Au concentration data < 1.96 ppm, n = 43), the As-rich bands are characterized by far higher concentrations of Au (up to 1420 ppm), Cu, Ag, Sb, and Tl, but lower concentrations of Co and Ni. In-situ sulfur isotope analysis indicates that the δ34S values of As-rich zones range from − 7.3 (± 0.6) to 2.9 (± 0.6)‰ and are similar to those of As-poor zones (from − 6.9 (± 0.7) to 2.8 (± 0.6)‰), but distinct from the framboidal pyrite. Combined with published fluid inclusion data and a probable age for the magmatic event associated with mineralization, these data suggest that magmatic–hydrothermal fluids contributed most ore-forming materials and that periodic boiling led to formation of the rhythmic As-rich and As-poor bands in pyrite. Our data for pyrite constrain the evolution of ore-forming processes and provide new insights into the formation of zoned pyrite, with the conclusions having broad implications for analogous hydrothermal gold deposits worldwide.

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Fig. 1

Modified from Deng et al. (2015) and Liu et al. (2015)

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Data availability

The data of the study are available in the supplementary material (Tables S1, S2, and S3).

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Key Research and Development Project of China (2022YFF0800903, 2023YFC2907105), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41802113, 42273073 and 42261144669), and the Fundamental Research Fund for the Central Universities (2019B08214). Discussions with Prof. Jun Deng and Prof. Qingfei Wang improved the quality of this paper. We thank Hengyong Lei, Qing Peng, and Yanbin Sun for their support in the field. Xiaodan Chen kindly assisted with EPMA operation. Lixin Gu and Xu Tang helped with FIB/TEM experiments and Jialong Hao provided assistance during NanoSIMS analysis. This work has greatly benefited from insightful and thorough comments from two anonymous reviewers and Associate Editor Daniela Rubatto.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Marine Geology, College of Oceanography, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, China

    Huichao Zhang

  2. Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, 100037, China

    Huichao Zhang, Hongrui Zhang, Zengqian Hou & Peng Chai

  3. School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia

    Nigel J. Cook

  4. China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China

    Wei Li

  5. Adelaide Microscopy, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia

    Sarah Gilbert

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Supplementary Information

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Supplementary file 1: Figures S1–S7.

410_2023_2086_MOESM2_ESM.docx

Supplementary file 2: Table S1 Chemical compositions of different types of pyrites in the Zhenyuan gold deposit (EPMA, wt.%).

410_2023_2086_MOESM3_ESM.xlsx

Supplementary file 3: Table S2 Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analytical data for pyrites in the Zhenyuan gold deposit (data in ppm).

Supplementary file 4: Table S3 In-situ sulfur isotopic analysis of pyrites from Zhenyuan gold deposit by NanoSIMS.

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Zhang, H., Cook, N.J., Zhang, H. et al. Implications for metallogenic evolution of the giant Zhenyuan gold deposit (Yunnan, SW China) from textures and geochemical compositions of pyrite. Contrib Mineral Petrol 179, 7 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-023-02086-w

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