Geology and vein tin mineralization in the Dadoushan deposit, Gejiu district, SW China

Vein-type tin mineralization in the Dadoushan deposit, Laochang ore field, Gejiu district, SW China, is predominantly hosted in Triassic carbonate rocks (Gejiu Formation) over cupolas of the unexposed Laochang equigranular granite intrusion. The most common vein mineral is tourmaline, accompanied by skarn minerals (garnet, diopside, epidote, phlogopite) and beryl. The main ore mineral is cassiterite, accompanied by minor chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, and pyrite, as well as scheelite. The tin ore grade varies with depth, with the highest grades (similar to 1.2 % Sn) prevalent in the lower part of the vein zone. Muscovite 40Ar-39Ar dating yielded a plateau age of 82.7 +/- 0.7 Ma which defines the age of the vein-type mineralization. Measured sulfur isotope compositions (delta S-34 = -4.1 to 3.9 aEuro degrees) of the sulfides (arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, and pyrrhotite) indicate that the sulfur in veins is mainly derived from a magmatic source. The sulfur isotope values of the ores are consistent with those from the underlying granite (Laochang equigranular granite, -3.7 to 0.1 aEuro degrees) but are different from the carbonate wall rocks of the Gejiu Formation (7.1 to 11.1 aEuro degrees). The calculated and measured oxygen and hydrogen isotope compositions of the ore-forming fluids (delta O-18(H2O) = -2.4 to 5.5 aEuro degrees, delta D = -86 to -77 aEuro degrees) suggest an initially magmatic fluid which gradually evolved towards meteoric water during tin mineralization.