Journal
ORE GEOLOGY REVIEWS
Volume 116, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.oregeorev.2019.103215
Keywords
Argemela; Variscan; Sn-Li-(Nb-Ta-W) mineralization; Magmatic; Hydrothermal; Portugal
Categories
Funding
- Labex VOLTAIRE [ANR-10-LABX-100-01]
- ANR project VARPEG [ANR-15-CE01-0001]
- ERAMIN project NewOres
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) [ANR-15-CE01-0001] Funding Source: Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR)
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The Argemela mineralized area (AMA), central Portugal, exhibits a nearly continuous magmatic to hydrothermal ore-forming sequence typical of Variscan granite-related rare metal deposits. Disseminated and vein-type mineralization are distributed in two systems, the Argemela Mine (AM) and the Cabego da Argemela (CA). Disseminated mineralization includes montebrasite, cassiterite and columbite-tantalite dispersed in rare metal granites. Vein-type mineralization occurs both in granites and country rocks. The CA system exposes three generations of intragranitic veins with montebrasite in the two earliest and montebrasite, wolframite, cassiterite and columbite-tantalite in the latest. Country rock veins include a swarm of cassiterite and montebrasite veins (AM) and rare isolated wolframite veins (CA). Disseminated cassiterites are enriched in Ta2O5 and Nb2O5 compared to vein cassiterites. Disseminated columbite-tantalites evolve toward Mn- and Ta-rich chemistries that contrast with the more Fe- and Nb-rich compositions in intragranitic veins. In the CA system, both intragranitic and country rock veins crystallize early Mn-rich wolframites followed by late more Fe-rich compositions associated with Nb-, Ta-poor cassiterite, the later replaced by stannite. Field relations, structural, mineralogical and geochemical data suggest that the disseminated and vein-type mineralization are expressions of a continuous metallogenic evolution initiated at the magmatic stage, pursued during the magmatic-hydrothermal transition and ended with hydrothermal circulations in country rock. The two mineralized systems share similarities, but they also show major differences. Structural analysis demonstrates that the intragranitic veins in the CA and the country rock veins in the AM were emplaced under the same tectonic regime. Therefore, the two systems are variants of the same local metallogenic evolution. Sn and W show markedly contrasted behaviors. Both have a magmatic source but only Sn reaches concentrations leading to saturation of the melt with cassiterite. W is deposited later and preferentially to Sn in intragranitic veins. At the hydrothermal stage, cassiterite and wolframite deposition are disconnected and, overall, wolframite occurs only in minor amounts. The metallogenic model proposed for the AMA emphasizes magmatic rare metal concentration processes, exsolution of magmatic fluids and selective deposition of metals during the magmatic-hydrothermal and later hydrothermal stages. The Sn-Li-(Nb-Ta)-dominated, and W-poor signature of the AMA makes it similar to LCT pegmatites of the Central Iberian Zone but is distinctive from the world class W-(Sn-Cu) Panasqueira deposit nearby.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available