LA-ICP-MS trace element analysis of pyrite from the Dafang gold deposit, South China: Implications for ore genesis

The Dafang is a hydrothermal gold deposit (6 t Au with an average grade of 1.8 g/t) in periphery of the Sn-Cu metallogenic system in Nanling Range in south China. This deposit locates in the contact zone between late Jurassic granodiorite porphyry and late Paleozoic limestone as well as the fractures of them. The mineralization comprises three stages, pyrite + arsenopyrite +/- chalcopyrite + quartz (I), pyrite + arsenopyrite + gold + calaverite + sulfosalt +/- sphalerite +/- galena + quartz (II), and pyrite + arsenopyrite + quartz + calcite (III). Pyrite is the dominant gold-bearing mineral, which can be classified into three generations (Py1 to Py3), corresponding to three ore stages (Stage I to Stage III), respectively. Different stage pyrites show textural homogeneity in both reflected light and backscattered electron images. In addition, the LA-ICP-MS results show that all pyrites have relatively low Au concentrations (0.17 ppm for Py1, 0.48 ppm for Py2 and 0.58 ppm for Py3), and trace element mapping for Py1 demonstrate oscillatory zoning patterns for Au, As, Sb, Te, Co, and Ni. Compared to Py2 and Py3, Py1 has higher Co, Ni, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ag, and Te contents, but lower Au and Tl contents. Gold contents for all stage pyrite plot well below the solubility limit for gold in arsenian pyrite, indicating that invisible gold occurs as Au1+ in the pyrite lattice. Silver occurs mainly as Ag-bearing sulfosalt inclusion or galena micro-inclusion in pyrite, while Pb and Zn as galena and sphalerite micro-inclusions in pyrite. Trace element mapping yields that Au-rich zone coincides well with As rich zones, demonstrating that the occurrence of As in pyrite promotes the enrichment of lattice gold. From Stage I to Stage III, the decrease of Co and Ni contents indicates the decrease of the ore-fluid temperature, and the change of Se and Te contents suggests the fO(2) increased from Stage I to Stage II and then decreased to Stage III. The Co and Ni contents suggest that all studied pyrite is dominantly of hydrothermal origin. Combined geological and mineralogical evidences indicate that the Dafang gold deposit is an epithermal Au deposit.

Automated summary

The Dafang gold deposit in the Nanling Range of China is a hydrothermal gold deposit with three mineralization stages dominated by pyrite as the main gold-bearing mineral. Research results show that the gold in pyrite exists as Au1+, and the coincidence of gold-rich zones with arsenic-rich zones indicates that arsenic promotes the enrichment of lattice gold.