Lithium Isotope Fractionation During Intensive Felsic Magmatic Differentiation

The Xihuashan and Yaogangxian granitic plutons in South China comprise highly evolved multiphase Li-rich granites and host quartz-vein-type tungsten deposits. The d(7)Li values of Phase A (early stage), B (middle stage), and C (late stage) from the Xihuashan pluton are 1.0-1.2 parts per thousand, 1.1-3.0 parts per thousand, and 2.4-2.8 parts per thousand respectively, increasing through chemical evolution. The granites from the Yaogangxian pluton also display gradually enriched in heavy Li isotopes in a later stage, although systematically lighter than those of the Xihuashan pluton. In both plutons, the d(7)Li shows good correlations with SiO2 and Li concentrations as well as Rb/Sr, Nb/Ta, and Zr/Hf ratios, indicating Li isotopic fractionation most likely caused by magmatic differentiation. In situ analyses show that the minerals of Xihuashan pluton record a continuous elemental spectrum, reflecting the results of progressive magmatic differentiation. The d(7)Li values of quartz, feldspar, mica, and zircon all correlate well with the chemical evolutions of granitic magma, systematically elevated in Phases B and C relative to Phase A. The Li isotope data of the mineral separates further document that the enrichment of Li-7 in the residual melt was most likely due to the equilibrium fractionation between the mineral and melts. The data are interpreted to reflect that intense magmatic differentiation was responsible for Li isotopic variations coupled with the enrichment in the Li, F, P, and rare metals in the late-phase granites of the Xihuashan pluton. The lithium isotope behavior documented in this study provides new insights into magmatic differentiation and associated rare-metal mineralization.

Automated summary

The Xihuashan and Yaogangxian granitic plutons in South China consist of highly evolved, multiphase, Li-rich granites and host quartz-vein-type tungsten deposits. The Li isotopic compositions in the granite phases of both plutons are influenced by the chemical evolution of the magmas, as indicated by correlations with SiO2 and Li concentrations, as well as Rb/Sr, Nb/Ta, and Zr/Hf ratios. The lithium isotope behavior observed in this study provides new insights into magmatic differentiation and associated rare-metal mineralization.