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Geoscience ›› 2024, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (01): 183-197.DOI: 10.19657/j.geoscience.1000-8527.2023.094

• Mineralogy, Petrology, Ore Deposits • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Trace Element Geochemistry and Its Metallogenic Implications of the Pyrite from the Xiwan Pb-Zn Deposit in Luzong Basin, Anhui

HU Shengping1,2(), HAN Shanchu1,2(), ZHANG Hongqiu1,2,3, ZHANG Yong1,2, PAN Jiayong1,2, ZHONG Fujun1,2, LU Jianyan1,2, LI Weixin1,2   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resources and Environment, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330013, China
    2. School of Earth Sciences, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330013, China
    3. Guangxi 272 Geological Team, Nanning, Guangxi 530033, China
  • Received:2023-03-05 Revised:2023-10-07 Online:2024-02-10 Published:2024-03-20

Abstract:

Pyrite is the most common metal sulfides formed in lead-zinc (Pb-Zn) deposits, and it accompanies most of the ore-forming process of the Pb-Zn deposits.Pyrite mineralogy and chemical compositions are key information to get insight into the mineralization process and therein the genesis of the ore deposits.The Luzong basin, part of the middle-lower Yangtze river valley metallogenic belt, has recently been found to host a large scale of Xiwan Pb-Zn deposit along its northern margin.Even though the Xiwan Pb-Zn deposit has been intensively investigated, the studies on the correlations between the pyrite geochemistry and the genesis of the ore deposit remain unresolved.This study for the first time employed laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and petrography to investigate the pyrite characteristics from the ore deposit.The aim is to elucidate the trace element geochemistry and substitution mechanisms in pyrite crystals with an aim to understand the genesis of the ore deposit.Our results revealed two stages of pyrite formation based on crystal morphology and mineral associations, namely pre-ore and ore-forming stages.Pre-ore pyrite exhibited a semi-euhedral to anhedral grain structure with the size ranging from 10 to 50 μm and was composed of multiple fine-grained aggregation, characterized by enriched Cu, Ag, As, Pb, and Sb contents.In contrast, the pyrite associated with the Pb-Zn ores displays anhedral to semi-euhedral crystallization with its size > 200 μm.The pyrite occurs within the limestone fractures with vein-like structures and is enriched in Mn, Co, Ni, Zn, Cs, Cd, In, and Sn elements, and mostly associated with the minerals galena and sphalerite.The substitution mechanisms of trace elements in the pyrite primarily involved single-element and multi-element coupled substitutions.Single-element substitutions include Co2+↔Fe2+, Ni2+↔Fe2+, and Pb2+↔Fe2+, and multi-element coupled substitutions comprise As3++Ag+↔2Fe2+ and (Tl++Cu++Ag+) + (Sb3+, As3+) ↔3Fe2+.Additionally, small mineral inclusions such as galena, sphalerite, and arsenopyrite, were observed within the pyrite crystals.The trace elements in pyrite, such as Co, Ni, As, Cu, Mn, Ge, and Ag, exhibited similarities to the skarn-type Pb-Zn deposits.Combining the findings in previous studies, this study classifies the Xiwan Pb-Zn deposit as a distal skarn-type deposit.

Key words: Xiwan Pb-Zn deposit, pyrite, trace element, substitution mechanism, ore genesis

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