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Scheelite U–Pb dating constraints on the timing of the formation of the Zhazixi Sb-W deposit in South China

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Abstract

The Zhazixi deposit hosted in sedimentary rocks is a major Sb-W deposit in South China. The mineral scheelite, which can be dated by the U-Pb method, commonly occurs in both tungsten (W)-dominated and antimony (Sb)-dominated ore veins of the deposit. Cathodoluminescence (CL) images reveal the presence of three distinct stages of scheelite (Sch-I, Sch-II and Sch-III) within the deposit. These three scheelites were dated using in-situ laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), yielding U-Pb ages of 158.1±5.4 Ma and 157.6 ± 4.9 Ma for Sch-I, 155 ± 11 Ma for Sch-II, and 151.3±6.1 Ma for Sch-III. These data suggest that the Zhazixi Sb-W deposit formed during the Late Jurassic (160–150 Ma) rather than the Late Triassic as previously suggested. Considering the temporal similarity with low-temperature hydrothermal Sb deposits in the Xiangzhong metallogenic province (XZMP), the formation of the Sb-W deposit may have followed a similar genetic model, where meteoric groundwater circulated to depth and extracted metals from fertile basement rocks through fluid-rock interaction, resulting in the generation of ore fluids. This study highlights that Late Jurassic low-temperature hydrothermal Sb-polymetallic mineralization in the XZMP is likely more extensive than previously perceived.

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Acknowledgements

We are very grateful to Nikki Wintzer and Associate Editor Rolf Romer for their constructive comments and suggestions. We also appreciate Dr. Zhen Xi of the Anhua Zhazixi Antimony Mining Co. Ltd for his help during fieldwork and Dr. Shaohua Dong for her assistance during scheelite SEM-CL imaging at IGCAS.

Funding

This study was jointly funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2023YFC2906801), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42272102), and the Field Forefront Project of the State Key Laboratory of Ore Deposit Geochemistry, IGCAS (202102).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Ore Deposit Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China

    Tianxing Wang, Shanling Fu, Yanwen Tang & Luming Wei

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100039, China

    Tianxing Wang & Luming Wei

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  1. Tianxing Wang
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  2. Shanling Fu
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  4. Luming Wei
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Correspondence to Shanling Fu.

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Wang, T., Fu, S., Tang, Y. et al. Scheelite U–Pb dating constraints on the timing of the formation of the Zhazixi Sb-W deposit in South China. Miner Deposita 59, 445–452 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00126-024-01249-4

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