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Ages and compositions of primary and secondary allanite from the Lala Fe–Cu deposit, SW China: implications for multiple episodes of hydrothermal events

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Abstract

Numerous Fe–Cu deposits in southwestern China form the Kangdian Iron-Oxide Copper-Gold (IOCG) metallogenic Province. These deposits have a close association of Fe-oxides and Cu-sulfides formed at different stages, which are possibly related to multiple hydrothermal events. In this paper, U–Pb dating and chemical analyses on allanite from different stages of the Lala deposit were used to constrain timing and origin of such events. Allanite occurs as disseminated grains or patches in Fe–Cu ores and is closely associated with chalcopyrite, molybdenite, calcite and minor titanite, postdating magnetite and apatite. High-resolution backscattered electronic (BSE) imaging, electron microprobe compositions and X-ray scanning profiles demonstrate that REE-rich primary allanite was replaced by later, relatively porous and REE-poor secondary allanite. Such a replacement was promoted by interaction between primary allanite and fluid fluxes infiltrating the minerals, following an exchange scheme of REE3+ + Fe2+ → Ca2+ + Al3+. The secondary allanite has higher Fe3+/(Fe3++Fe2+) ratios and U contents, indicating involvement of relatively oxidized fluids during alteration. The alteration has also produced unidentified secondary REE minerals in fractures, indicating re-deposition of some of the removed REEs. The primary and secondary allanites are dated by in situ LA-ICP-MS technique and have U–Pb ages of 1,067 ± 41 Ma and 880–850 Ma, respectively. The ~1.07 Ga primary allanite was contemporaneous with the main Mo–Cu–LREE mineralization with a molybdenite Re–Os age of ~1.08 Ga. The 880–850 Ma secondary allanite is comparable with the Ar–Ar ages (890–830 Ma) of biotite from hosting schists and undeformed sulfide veins occurring throughout the Kangdian Province, suggesting that such an event was possibly syn-deformational and represents a younger hydrothermal event. Occurrences of both primary and secondary allanites suggest that the mineralization may have involved multiple tectonothermal events including the ~1.05–1.1 Ga intra-plate and subsequent 960–740 Ma arc magmatism in the Kangdian region.

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Acknowledgments

This study is supported by grants from the Research Grant Council of Hong Kong (HKU17306814P), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant 41272212) and a CRCG grant from HKU (201309176142). We thank Dr Xin-Fu Zhao for sharing Ar–Ar age data of Fe-Cu deposits in the Kangdian Province. Great thanks are extended to geologists from the Lala Mine, especially Mr. Liang Chen and Dinghua Ma for their help during the field work. Dr. Jianfeng Gao is greatly appreciated for his assistance with the analyses. We are grateful to the official reviews by two anonymous reviewers and editorial handling by Prof F. Poitrasson.

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  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China

    Wei Terry Chen & Mei-Fu Zhou

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Communicated by Dr. Franck Poitrasson.

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Chen, W.T., Zhou, MF. Ages and compositions of primary and secondary allanite from the Lala Fe–Cu deposit, SW China: implications for multiple episodes of hydrothermal events. Contrib Mineral Petrol 168, 1043 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-014-1043-1

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