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Silver–bearing minerals in the Xinhua hydrothermal vein-type Pb-Zn deposit, South China

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Abstract

Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) results are reported for newly identified silver–bearing minerals from the Xinhua deposit, Yunkaidashan area, South China. The Xinhua deposit is a hydrothermal vein–type Pb–Zn deposit and is hosted in the Pubei Complex, which consists of a cordierite–biotite granite with a U–Pb zircon age of 244.3 ± 1.8–251.9 ± 2.2 Ma. The mineralization process is subdivided into four mineralization stages, characterized by the following mineral associations: mineralization stage I with quartz, pyrite, and sphalerite; mineralization stage II with siderite, galena, and tetrahedrite; mineralization stage III with quartz and galena; and mineralization stage IV with quartz, calcite, and baryte. Tetrahedrite series minerals, such as freibergite, argentotetrahedrite, and tennantite are the main Ag–bearing minerals in the Xinhua deposit. The greatest concentration of silver occurs in phases from mineralization stage II. Microscopic observations reveal close relationship between galena and tetrahedrite series minerals that mostly occur as irregular inclusions within galena. The negative correlation between Cu and Ag in the lattices of tetrahedrite series minerals suggests that Cu sites are occupied by Ag atoms. Zn substitution for Fe in argentotetrahedrite and Cd substitution for Pb in tetrahedrite are also observed. Micro–thermometric data reveal that both homogenization temperatures and calculated salinities of hydrothermal fluids decrease progressively from the early to the later mineralization stages. The metal ions, such as Ag+, Cu+, Pb2+, and Zn2+, are transported as chlorine complex ions in the early mineralization stage and as bisulfide complex ions in the late mineralization stage, caused by changes in oxygen fugacity, temperature, and pH of the hydrothermal fluids. Because of the varying solubility of different metal ions, Pb2+, Zn2+, and Cu2+ ions are initially precipitated as galena, sphalerite, and chalcopyrite, respectively. With decreasing temperature of the fluids, Pb2+ ions are incorporated along with Cu+, Sb3+, and As3+ ions into sulfosalt minerals, and Ag+ ions are coprecipitated with Cu+, Sb3+, and As3+ ions forming tetrahedrite series minerals or replacing earlier sulfides and sulfosalts.

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Acknowledgements

We are indebted to the colleagues of Guangxi Pubei Lead and Zinc, Ltd. for their help in the field. We would like to thank Xiaofeng Cao, Yanjun Li, and Zhen Yang for sample collection. Comments and suggestions of anonymous reviewers and Associate Editor Anton Beran greatly improved the quality of this paper. This study was supported by grants by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41272097), the National Key R&D Plan (No. 2016YFC0600508), the China Geological Survey Project (No. 12120114016601), the Special Fund for Basic Scientific Research of Central Colleges, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) (No. CUG120702), and the Teaching Laboratory Foundation of China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) (No. SKJ2016013).

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  1. Faculty of Earth Resources, China University of Geosciences, 388 Lumo Road, Wuhan, Hubei Province, 430074, China

    Minfang Wang, Xubo Zhang & Daohui Pi

  2. The Second Geological Survey of Henan Province, Xuchang, Henan, 461000, China

    Xiaonan Guo

  3. Center for Materials Research and Analysis, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China

    Meijun Yang

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Wang, M., Zhang, X., Guo, X. et al. Silver–bearing minerals in the Xinhua hydrothermal vein-type Pb-Zn deposit, South China. Miner Petrol 112, 85–103 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00710-017-0508-0

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