Combined garnet, scheelite and apatite U–Pb dating of mineralizing events in the Qiaomaishan Cu–W skarn deposit, eastern China
Determining the precise timing of mineralization and mineralizing events is crucial to understanding regional mineralizing and other geological events and processes. However, there are a number of mineralogical and analytical limitations to the approaches developed for the absolute dating of mineral...
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Elsevier
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Geoscience Frontiers |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987122001128 |
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| author | Yue Li Feng Yuan Simon M. Jowitt Xiangling Li Taofa Zhou Fangyue Wang Yufeng Deng |
| author_facet | Yue Li Feng Yuan Simon M. Jowitt Xiangling Li Taofa Zhou Fangyue Wang Yufeng Deng |
| author_sort | Yue Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Determining the precise timing of mineralization and mineralizing events is crucial to understanding regional mineralizing and other geological events and processes. However, there are a number of mineralogical and analytical limitations to the approaches developed for the absolute dating of mineralizing systems, such as molybdenite Re–Os and zircon and garnet U–Pb, among others. This means that the precise and accurate dating of mineralizing systems that may not contain minerals suitable for dating using existing approaches requires the development of new (and ideally in situ) approaches to absolute dating. This study outlines a new in situ analytical approach that has the potential to rapidly and accurately evaluate the timing of ore formation. Our study employs a novel application of in situ scheelite U–Pb dating analysis using laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS) and samples from the Qiaomaishan deposit, a representative example of skarn mineralization within the Xuancheng ore district of eastern China. Our approach to scheelite dating of the deposit is verified by cross-comparison to dating of cogenetic garnet and apatite, proving the effectiveness of this approach. Our new approach to dating of scheelite-bearing geological systems is rapid, cheap, requires little sample preparation, and is undertaken in situ, allowing crucial geological and mineralogical context to be retained during analysis. The approaches outlined here not only allow the determination of the absolute timing of formation of the Qiaomaishan deposit through the U–Pb dating of scheelite [138.6 ± 3.2 Ma, N = 39, mean square weighted deviation (MSWD) = 1.17], garnet (138.4 ± 1.0 Ma, N = 40, MSWD = 1.3), and apatite (139.6 ± 3.3 Ma, N = 35, MSWD = 0.72), but also further supports the theoretical genetic links between this mineralization and the emplacement of a proximal porphyritic granodiorite intrusion (zircon U–Pb age: 139.5 ± 1.2 Ma, N = 23, MSWD = 0.3). Moreover, our research indicates that the higher the concentrations of U within scheelite, the more suitable that scheelite is for U–Pb dating, with the main factor controlling the U content of scheelite seemingly being variations in oxygen fugacity conditions. This novel approach provides a potentially powerful tool, not just for the dating of skarn systems but also with potential applications in orogenic and intrusion-related gold, porphyry W–Mo, and greisen mineralizing systems as well as other scheelite-bearing geological bodies or geological systems. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T10:13:04Z |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T10:13:04Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-baf5a8f6006e4aa7ae1d60bec7bf4b802023-09-02T10:46:51ZengElsevierGeoscience Frontiers1674-98712023-01-01141101459Combined garnet, scheelite and apatite U–Pb dating of mineralizing events in the Qiaomaishan Cu–W skarn deposit, eastern ChinaYue Li0Feng Yuan1Simon M. Jowitt2Xiangling Li3Taofa Zhou4Fangyue Wang5Yufeng Deng6Ore Deposit and Exploration Centre (ODEC), Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 23009, China; Anhui Province Engineering Research Center for Mineral Resources and Mine Environments, Hefei 23009, China; Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy., NV 89154-4010, USAOre Deposit and Exploration Centre (ODEC), Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 23009, China; Anhui Province Engineering Research Center for Mineral Resources and Mine Environments, Hefei 23009, China; Corresponding author.Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy., NV 89154-4010, USAOre Deposit and Exploration Centre (ODEC), Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 23009, China; Anhui Province Engineering Research Center for Mineral Resources and Mine Environments, Hefei 23009, ChinaOre Deposit and Exploration Centre (ODEC), Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 23009, China; Anhui Province Engineering Research Center for Mineral Resources and Mine Environments, Hefei 23009, ChinaOre Deposit and Exploration Centre (ODEC), Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 23009, China; Anhui Province Engineering Research Center for Mineral Resources and Mine Environments, Hefei 23009, ChinaOre Deposit and Exploration Centre (ODEC), Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 23009, China; Anhui Province Engineering Research Center for Mineral Resources and Mine Environments, Hefei 23009, ChinaDetermining the precise timing of mineralization and mineralizing events is crucial to understanding regional mineralizing and other geological events and processes. However, there are a number of mineralogical and analytical limitations to the approaches developed for the absolute dating of mineralizing systems, such as molybdenite Re–Os and zircon and garnet U–Pb, among others. This means that the precise and accurate dating of mineralizing systems that may not contain minerals suitable for dating using existing approaches requires the development of new (and ideally in situ) approaches to absolute dating. This study outlines a new in situ analytical approach that has the potential to rapidly and accurately evaluate the timing of ore formation. Our study employs a novel application of in situ scheelite U–Pb dating analysis using laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS) and samples from the Qiaomaishan deposit, a representative example of skarn mineralization within the Xuancheng ore district of eastern China. Our approach to scheelite dating of the deposit is verified by cross-comparison to dating of cogenetic garnet and apatite, proving the effectiveness of this approach. Our new approach to dating of scheelite-bearing geological systems is rapid, cheap, requires little sample preparation, and is undertaken in situ, allowing crucial geological and mineralogical context to be retained during analysis. The approaches outlined here not only allow the determination of the absolute timing of formation of the Qiaomaishan deposit through the U–Pb dating of scheelite [138.6 ± 3.2 Ma, N = 39, mean square weighted deviation (MSWD) = 1.17], garnet (138.4 ± 1.0 Ma, N = 40, MSWD = 1.3), and apatite (139.6 ± 3.3 Ma, N = 35, MSWD = 0.72), but also further supports the theoretical genetic links between this mineralization and the emplacement of a proximal porphyritic granodiorite intrusion (zircon U–Pb age: 139.5 ± 1.2 Ma, N = 23, MSWD = 0.3). Moreover, our research indicates that the higher the concentrations of U within scheelite, the more suitable that scheelite is for U–Pb dating, with the main factor controlling the U content of scheelite seemingly being variations in oxygen fugacity conditions. This novel approach provides a potentially powerful tool, not just for the dating of skarn systems but also with potential applications in orogenic and intrusion-related gold, porphyry W–Mo, and greisen mineralizing systems as well as other scheelite-bearing geological bodies or geological systems.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987122001128In-situ scheelite U–Pb datingIn-situ garnet U–Pb datingIn-situ apatite U–Pb datingQiaomaishan skarn deposit |
| spellingShingle | Yue Li Feng Yuan Simon M. Jowitt Xiangling Li Taofa Zhou Fangyue Wang Yufeng Deng Combined garnet, scheelite and apatite U–Pb dating of mineralizing events in the Qiaomaishan Cu–W skarn deposit, eastern China Geoscience Frontiers In-situ scheelite U–Pb dating In-situ garnet U–Pb dating In-situ apatite U–Pb dating Qiaomaishan skarn deposit |
| title | Combined garnet, scheelite and apatite U–Pb dating of mineralizing events in the Qiaomaishan Cu–W skarn deposit, eastern China |
| title_full | Combined garnet, scheelite and apatite U–Pb dating of mineralizing events in the Qiaomaishan Cu–W skarn deposit, eastern China |
| title_fullStr | Combined garnet, scheelite and apatite U–Pb dating of mineralizing events in the Qiaomaishan Cu–W skarn deposit, eastern China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Combined garnet, scheelite and apatite U–Pb dating of mineralizing events in the Qiaomaishan Cu–W skarn deposit, eastern China |
| title_short | Combined garnet, scheelite and apatite U–Pb dating of mineralizing events in the Qiaomaishan Cu–W skarn deposit, eastern China |
| title_sort | combined garnet scheelite and apatite u pb dating of mineralizing events in the qiaomaishan cu w skarn deposit eastern china |
| topic | In-situ scheelite U–Pb dating In-situ garnet U–Pb dating In-situ apatite U–Pb dating Qiaomaishan skarn deposit |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987122001128 |
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