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Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

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Ore Geology Reviews


journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/oregeorev

Multi-stage pyrite and hydrothermal mineral assemblage of the Hatu


gold district (west Junggar, Xinjiang, NW China): Implications for
metallogenic evolution
Lei Wang, Yongfeng Zhu
The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, Ministry of Education, China
School of Earth and Space Science, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China

a r t i c l e

i n f o

Article history:
Received 22 May 2014
Received in revised form 23 December 2014
Accepted 21 February 2015
Available online 25 February 2015
Keywords:
Framboidal pyrite
Arsenian pyrite
Gold
fO2
Hatu
Junggar
Xinjiang

a b s t r a c t
The Hatu, Qi-III, and Qi-V gold deposits in the HatuBaobei volcanicsedimentary basin (west Junggar, Xinjiang)
represent the proximal, middle, and distal parts of the Hatu gold district, respectively. Orebodies of these deposits
mainly consist of Au-bearing quartz veins and altered host rocks with disseminated sulde minerals. Six types of
pyrite in these mines are studied here to illustrate ore-formation processes. Sedimentary pyrite, including
framboidal and ne-grained pyrite, occurs in mudstone-bearing sedimentary rocks or altered volcanicsedimentary rocks. Framboidal pyrite formed during redox changes in sedimentary layers. Hydrothermal pyrite contains
ve subgroups, from Py1 to Py5. Porous Py1 formed prior to gold mineralization, and is overgrown by Py2 that
contains inclusions of sulde minerals and native gold. Coarser Py3 coexists with arsenopyrite and native gold,
and contains the greatest As concentrations. Gold and antimony are also preferentially concentrated in arsenian
Py2 and Py3. The AuAs-decient Py4 and Py5 formed during the post-ore process. There is a negative correlation
between the As and S contents in Py1, Py2, and Py3, implying the substitution of sulfur by arsenic. Gold precipitated under relatively reducing condition in framboid- and graphite-bearing tuffaceous rocks. Cesium, Rb, Sr, La,
Ce, Au, As, Sb, Cu, and Pb are concentrated in altered host rocks. The Au-bearing quartz veins and disseminated
sulde mineral orebodies were formed via a co-genetic hydrothermal uid and formed during different stages.
The variation of fO2 during uid/rock interactions, and crystallization of arsenian pyrite were major factors that
controlled gold precipitation.
2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Pyrite is the most common sulde in hydrothermal gold deposits,
and it generally develops throughout different stages of mineralization.
Studying the texture, paragenesis and trace element composition of
pyrite can provide insight into the evolution of ore systems (Large
et al., 2007; Agangi et al., 2013; Velsquez et al., 2014). The compositions of pyrite and coexisting minerals are mainly controlled by the
physical and chemical conditions of hydrothermal uids. Therefore,
trace and minor elements of these minerals can be used to infer uid
compositions and metallogenic environments (Abraitis et al., 2004;
Pasava et al., 2013).
There are many hydrothermal gold deposits, of which pyrite is the
most common gold-carrying sulde in Xinjiang, NW China, such as
the Hatu gold district in the west Junggar region. West Junggar, located

Corresponding author.
E-mail address: yfzhu@pku.edu.cn (Y. Zhu).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.oregeorev.2015.02.021
0169-1368/ 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

in the central area of the Central Asian Metallogenic Domain (Fig. 1a),
hosts a number of medium to large metallic mineral deposits, including
the Hatu gold deposit, the Baogutu porphyry coppergold deposit and
the Sartohay chromite deposit (Zhu et al., 2013a). Hatu, the largest
gold deposit in west Junggar, is located in the HatuBaobei volcanic
sedimentary basin, and has yielded more than 50 t of gold at an average
grade of 5 g/t (Xiao et al., 2010). Several other gold mines in the Hatu
district are situated along the northeast striking Anqi fault zone (Qi-II
to Qi-V, Fig. 1b), or are adjacent to intermediate to felsic intrusions
(Fig. 1b). Orebodies of the Hatu gold district consist of Au-bearing
quartz veins and altered host-rocks with disseminated sulde minerals
and gold mineralization. Wang et al. (2004) proposed that the
Au-bearing quartz veins are related to magmatic uids, whereas the
mineralization in the altered host-rocks formed from uids with a
deep crust source. Others suggest that these orebodies represent
different evolutional stages of co-genetic magmatichydrothermal
uids derived from Late Carboniferous granites (Zhang, 2003; Zhu
et al., 2013a).
Here, we provide detailed texture, paragenesis, and mineral geochemical data of various stages of pyrite and other common

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L. Wang, Y. Zhu / Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

Fig. 1. a) Schematic map showing the position of west Junggar; b) Geological map of the west Junggar region (modied from Zhu et al., 2013a); c) Geological sections of the volcanicsedimentary sequence from to ; d) Comprehensive section and alteration zones across the HatuBaobei volcanicsedimentary basin. UZ = unaltered zone, WAZ = weak altered zone,
IAZ = intense altered zone.

hydrothermal minerals within disseminated sulde mineral orebodies


of the Hatu, Qi-III and Qi-V deposits. We report on the trace element
geochemistry of unaltered and altered host rocks and compare the

metallogenic features of disseminated sulde mineral orebodies with


Au-bearing quartz veins. These results are used to illustrate the evolution of pyrite and the ore-forming process.

L. Wang, Y. Zhu / Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

245

Table 1
Major feature of alteration zonings in the Hatu gold district.

Location
Lithological
association
Petrography

Mudstone
content
Framboid

Intense alteration zone (IAZ)

Weak alteration zone (WAZ)

Unaltered zone (UZ)

The hanging wall of Anqi fault zone


Basalt (only in the Hatu) + crystallithic tuff +

Northeast to and the footwall of Anqi fault zone


Crystallithic tuff + tuffaceous siltstone + conglomeratic
tuff, minor jasper

Adjacent to Hatu fault zone


Crystal tuff, minor tuffaceous siltstone and
jasper

Debris consisted of andesite, dioritic porphyrite, jasper and


siltstone were variably boudinaged. Quartz and minor
pyroxene crystals were cemented by weak altered ash.
b5%

Clear bedding. The content of volcanic


clastics is up to 90%. Angular quartz and
feldspar crystals were cemented by ash.
b5%

No framboid, minor graphite

No framboid and graphite

Weak-medium sericite and carbonate alteration

No alteration

Minor pyrite

No mineralization

carbonaceous mudstone + tuffaceous siltstone


Original fabrics, including debris and ash, were
totally overprinted by hydrothermal alteration,
only with minor quartz crystal remnant.
520%

Abundant framboids, associated with graphite


and rutile
Alteration
Strong sericite, carbonate, silicium, and sulde
alteration
Mineralization Strong mineralization, with disseminated pyrite
and arsenopyrite

2. Regional geology
West Junggar, located in the northwest margin of the Junggar Basin,
is characterized by linear zones of Paleozoic ophiolites, volcanicsedimentary rocks, and intermediate to felsic intrusions (Fig. 1ab). The
Paleozoic metamorphic terrane mainly consists of ophiolitic mlanges
and ysch and represents the components of the Central Asian Paleozoic Ocean that occurred before the middle Silurian period (Zhu et al.,
2013b). Subsequently, the Paleozoic sequence was covered by Devonian
to Early Carboniferous subaerial sandstone and volcanicsedimentary
rocks. The Devonian strata mainly outcrop in the north (Fig. 1b)
and consist of tuff, tuffaceous sandstone and siltstone. The Lower
Carboniferous volcanicsedimentary sequence includes the Xibeikulasi,
Baogutu, and Tailegula Formations. The Xibeikulasi Formation is composed of lithic tuff, conglomeratic sandstone and tuffaceous siltstone,
which are distributed locally in the north of the Hatu fault zone and
the east of the Anqi fault zone (Fig. 1b). The Baogutu Formation consists
of tuffaceous siltstone and crystal tuff dated to be 328342 Ma (An and
Zhu, 2009). The Tailegula Formation, the major host for the gold mineralization, is dominated by tuff, black carbonaceous mudstone, basalt and

minor jasper. The SHRIMP zircon UPb age of the tuff in the Tailegula
Formation is 328 Ma (Wang and Zhu, 2007). All geologic units mentioned above were intruded by granitic and dioritic plutons during the
Late Carboniferous to Early Permian, with a UPb age of 276327 Ma
(Han et al., 2006; Geng et al., 2009). The Hatuxi pluton (302 Ma) and
the Akebastaw pluton (276305 Ma) are spatially and temporally related to the extensive coppergold metallogenic event (Zhu et al., 2013a).
Hydrothermal gold deposits, such as Hatu, Q-III, and Qi-V, are located
along the Anqi fault zone from southwest to northeast.
Geological sections (Fig. 1c) show the lithological association and alteration zones of the volcanicsedimentary succession in the Hatu gold
district. Section 1 is mainly composed of black-gray tuffaceous siltstone
and lithic tuff, which are intruded by a diabase dike in the hanging wall
of the Hatu fault. A crystal tuff with a cleavage of 70 (strike angle)
occurs in the footwall of the Hatu fault. Section 2 is mainly composed
of crystal tuff, tuffaceous siltstone, and black tuffaceous/carbonaceous
mudstone in the hanging wall of the Anqi fault and lithic tuff and tuffaceous siltstone in the footwall. Section 3 is dominated by crystal tuff and
black-gray tuffaceous siltstone, with interlayers of jasper, lithic tuff and
conglomeratic tuff sandstone. Section 4 mainly consists of crystal tuff,

Fig. 2. a) Geological map of the Hatu gold deposit (modied from Zhu et al., 2013a); b) drill holes of AA exploratory line.

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L. Wang, Y. Zhu / Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

Fig. 3. Geological map of the Qi-III (a) and Qi-V (b) gold deposits.

L. Wang, Y. Zhu / Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

black tuffaceous/carbonaceous mudstone, and dark gray tuffaceous


siltstone, with minor lithic tuff, jasper, and conglomeratic tuff
sandstone.
The above volcanicsedimentary succession can be classied into
three alteration zones (Fig. 1d; Table 1). Crystal tuff, tuffaceous siltstone
and black tuffaceous/carbonaceous mudstone within and adjacent to
the Anqi fault zone are strongly altered by sericite, carbonate, silicium,
and sulde alteration, which are genetically related to gold mineralization. Abundant framboidal pyrite is distributed along black mudstonebearing beds or in the tuffaceous matrix. However, the tufftuffaceous
siltstonejasper sequence northwestward to the Anqi fault zone
shows weak sericite and carbonate alteration. The crystal tuff in the
hanging wall of the Hatu fault is completely unaltered, with angular
crystals of quartz and feldspar cemented by volcanic ash. These
volcanicsedimentary rocks in the Hatu district commonly lack metamorphism and strong deformation, differing from the Early Paleozoic
ophiolitic mlanges and ysch (Zhu et al., 2013b).

3. Geology of gold deposits in the Hatu district


The Hatu gold district is located in the HatuBaobei volcanic
sedimentary basin between the Hatu fault and the Anqi fault. Most of
the gold mines are distributed along the northeast Anqi fault, including
Hatu, Qi-II, Qi-III, Qi-IV, and Qi-V (Fig. 1b). Some gold deposits, such as
Baobei, are situated adjacent to felsic intrusions. Tuff, tuffaceous
siltstone, black tuffaceous/carbonaceous mudstone and basalt of the
Tailegula Formation are the host rocks for the gold mineralization. The
orebodies are composed of Au-bearing quartz veins and altered
host-rocks with disseminated sulde minerals and gold mineralization,
both controlled by NW- and/or EW-secondary faults related to the
Anqi fault zone. The Hatu, Qi-III, and Qi-V deposits represent
the proximal, middle, and distal parts of the Hatu gold district,
respectively.

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The Hatu deposit is located in the southwestern portion of the


HatuBaobei volcanicsedimentary basin. Gold mineralization
mainly occurs in secondary faults that strike NW and EW (Fig. 2a).
The host rocks vary from basalt and tuff in the east, to tuff and
black mudstone in the west (Fig. 2ab). The basalt is generally
overprinted by carbonate, tremolite, chlorite, epidote, axinite and
sulde alteration.
In the shallow part (b 400 m, above the 1054 elevation; L5, L7, L8,
and L10) of the orebody, Au-bearing quartz veins range from centimeters to meters thick and consist of quartz, sericite, albite, pyrite, arsenopyrite, and native gold. Most of these veins strike NW, though some
strike EW. The Au-bearing quartz veins gradually change to the
disseminated sulde mineral orebodies at depth (N400 m) that mostly
strike EW, though some, such as vein L27, strike NW. These orebodies
contain multi-stage hydrothermal minerals, including pyrite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite, native gold, muscovite, apatite, chlorite,
carbonate, and quartz.
The Qi-III deposit is located in the hanging wall of the Anqi fault
zone, approximately 6 km northeast of Hatu. The gold mineralization
occurs in tuff, tuffaceous and carbonaceous mudstone, and tuffaceous
siltstone (Fig. 3a). The host rocks are overprinted by sericite, carbonate,
silicium, and sulde alteration. Massive and banded ores mainly consist
of quartz, muscovite, ankerite, calcite, albite, rutile, monazite, and
various sulde minerals, including euhedral to subhedral pyrite and
arsenopyrite.
The Qi-V deposit is approximately 20 km northeast of the Hatu
deposit. The major target for gold exploration is a banded suldebearing quartz vein that is 40 to 50 cm wide and occurs in tuffaceous
siltstone and mudstone-bearing tuff (Fig. 3b). The vein consists of
quartz, calcite, pyrite, arsenopyrite, minor hematite, and chalcopyrite
replaced by covellite. Moreover, the mineralization in the altered tuff,
tuffaceous siltstone and tuffaceous sandstone (Fig. 3b) contains disseminated hydrothermal quartz, apatite, ankerite, chlorite, rutile, pyrite,
ilmenite, and chalcopyrite.

Fig. 4. Framboids in altered volcanicsedimentary rocks of the Hatu gold district. a) Carbonaceous beds within tuffaceous/carbonaceous mudstone. S0 stands for bedding plane; b) Detail of
a); Framboidal pyrite associates with elongated graphite and rutile along the bedding, reected light; c) Framboid, ne-grained pyrite, graphite and rutile in altered tuffaceous matrix,
reected light; d) Framboid inclusions in the coarse-grained graphite, reected light; e) Framboid lled and overgrown by chalcopyrite, reected light; f) Framboid overgrown by chalcopyrite and arsenopyrite, and then overgrown by pyrite. Muscovite and quartz fringe the overgrown framboid, BSE. Ccp chalcopyrite, Gr graphite, Ms muscovite, Py pyrite, Qr
quartz, and Rt rutile.

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L. Wang, Y. Zhu / Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

4. Mineralogy and hydrothermal stages


Pyrite, the most abundant sulde in the disseminated sulde mineral orebodies in the Hatu gold district, can mostly be subdivided into
framboidal and hydrothermal pyrite. Furthermore, ve generations of
hydrothermal pyrite, designated as Py1 to Py5, are identied based on
their textures and interpreted paragenesis.
Framboidal pyrite in intensely altered crystal tuff, black tuffaceous
siltstone, and carbonaceous mudstone displays a texture of microscopic
spheroidal to sub-spheroidal pyrite clusters of equidimensional
microcrystals that range from 5 to 30 m across. Framboidal pyrite
has two different occurrences. Framboid-I preferentially concentrates
in the black mudstone-bearing bands (Fig. 4ab) where it occurs
with elongated or irregular graphite and rutile parallel to bedding.
Framboid-II commonly occurs in the tuffaceous matrix without
preferential alignment and coexists with minor ne-grained subhedral
pyrite (Fig. 4c). Graphite and rutile that coexist with framboid-II also
have no preferential alignment. Some coarse-grained graphite contains

framboidal inclusions (Fig. 4d). Although there is no strict relationship


between lithology and the distribution of framboids, framboid-I is
more abundant in carbonaceous mudstones with enriched graphite
contents. Volcanicsedimentary successions in weak alteration zones
and unaltered zones are commonly decient in mudstone, framboidal
pyrite, graphite, and rutile. The original texture of the framboidal pyrite
is generally obscured by recrystallization due to later hydrothermal
processes. Framboids are lled by chalcopyrite or pyrite, and overgrown
by chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite, pyrite, and sphalerite (Fig. 4ef). These
overgrowth textures clearly show that framboids formed prior to
hydrothermal mineralization.
Py1 in the Hatu deposit occurs as rounded to subrounded cores overgrown by later formed pyrite (Fig. 5ab). Py1 is characterized by a porous
texture lled by quartz, muscovite, and minor rutile. No other sulde
minerals coexist with Py1, which presumably formed by the recrystallization of earlier framboids, based on the similar shape and porous structure.
Py2 displays euhedral to subhedral crystals ranging from 50 to
100 m across in the Hatu and Qi-III gold deposits. It commonly

Fig. 5. BSE images showing the hydrothermal Py1, Py2 and coexisting sulde minerals in the Hatu gold district. ab) Porous Py1 is overgrown by homogeneous Py2; c) Detail of b).
Inclusions of arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, sphalerite, and native gold in Py2; d) Detail of b). Fractures of Py2 are lled by chalcopyrite, sphalerite and native gold; e) Euhedral
to subhedral Py2 with inclusions of native gold. Chalcopyrite and sphalerite ll the fractures in Py2; f) Detail of e). Native gold, chalcopyrite, and minor arsenopyrite ll the fractures in
Py2. Apy arsenopyrite, Au native gold, Ccp chalcopyrite, Po pyrrhotite, Py pyrite, and Sp sphalerite.

L. Wang, Y. Zhu / Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

overgrows Py1 (Fig. 5ab), or develops homogeneous grains disseminated in host rocks. Some Py2 grains are concentrated along the
mudstone-bearing bands. Abundant inclusions in Py2 consist of arsenopyrite, sphalerite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite, and native gold
(Fig. 5c), along with silicate and carbonate minerals. Furthermore, Py2
was commonly fractured during brittle deformation and then lled by
chalcopyrite, sphalerite, arsenopyrite and native gold (Fig. 5df). This
type of pyrite accounts for more than 85% of the total sulde minerals
among hydrothermal stage III (see below).
Py3 occurs as coarse euhedral crystals and coexists with columnar,
triangular or rhombic arsenopyrite in the Hatu and in the Qi-III deposits.
Py3 crystals develop either in hydrothermal veinlets that clearly cut the
bedding (Py3a; Fig. 6a), with arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite,
tetrahedrite, bournonite (Fig. 6b), quartz, carbonate, muscovite, chlorite, apatite, and native gold (Fig. 6c), or as coarser disseminated crystals
in altered tuff (Py3b; Fig. 6df). A few grains of intergranular gold occur
between Py3b and arsenopyrite (Fig. 6f). Py2 and Py3 are most closely
related to gold mineralization.
Py4 occurs as isolated, homogenous, and subhedral to euhedral
grains in the late calcitequartz veins in the Qi-III deposit. Calcite commonly occurs as foliated crystals (Fig. 7a) and coexists with minor
ne-grained sulde minerals, such as chalcopyrite and tetrahedrite
(Fig. 7b). Only minor rutile inclusions exist within Py4. This type of
pyrite crystallized later than the gold-related Py2 and Py3.
Py5 occurs only in the Qi-V gold deposit, either as disseminated
euhedral to subhedral grains in altered tuff (Fig. 7c), similar to Py2, or
in the late stage quartzchloriteilmenite veins as very ne-grained
anhedral grains (Fig. 7de). Py5 locally overgrows ilmenite (Fig. 7f).
Similar to Py4, Py5 rarely coexists with other sulde minerals, especially
arsenopyrite.
Similar to pyrite, the main gangue minerals in the Hatu gold district,
including muscovite, chlorite, and apatite, also formed during several
stages. Prior to mineralization, muscovite generally formed micro-aky
crystals (Ms1) with ne-grained quartz, columnar or lenticular apatite
(Ap1), rutile, and anhedral chalcopyrite in the Hatu deposit (Fig. 8ab).

249

However, Ms1 in the Qi-III deposit only coexists with quartz in veins,
which were obviously cut later by calcitequartz veins (Fig. 8cd).
Muscovite (Ms2, Ms3), apatite (Ap2), and chlorite (Chl1, Chl2) related
to the gold precipitation coexist with Py3 and arsenopyrite in veinlets.
Ms2 concentrates along the margins of the vein (Fig. 9a) or in the intergranular space of sulde minerals and quartz (Fig. 9b). The Qi-III deposit
contains more abundant muscovite than the Hatu deposit. Chl1 forms
irregular grains, and coexists with Py3, arsenopyrite, Ms2, subhedral
Ap2, ankerite, and quartz (Fig. 9cd). In addition, acicular Chl2 forms
fringe with quartz and Ms3 that surround disseminated Py3b and arsenopyrite (Fig. 9ef). Ms3 is generally found in the outer rim. Coarse-grained
quartz and calcite are the principal gangue minerals during the post-ore
process (Fig. 10a), and enclose the subhedral apatite (Ap3, Fig. 10b).
Anhedral chlorite (Chl3) coexists with Ap3 and ilmenite (Fig. 10cd)
within the quartzcalcite vein. The amount of muscovite that formed
after gold mineralization is insignicant.
Coarse-grained quartzalbite veins that lack sulde minerals are
interpreted to be the earliest hydrothermal event in the Hatu deposit
(An and Zhu, 2007). Subsequently, muscoviteapatitequartz chalcopyrite veinlets clearly cut the framboid-bearing argillaceous bedding
and were cut by Py3arsenopyriteankeriteMs2Ap2Chl1 veins.
Then, coarse-grained calcite veins containing Py4 were cut by Chl3carbonate ilmenite and quartzcalcite veins. According to these crosscutting relationships and mineral paragenesis, the hydrothermal
process in the Hatu gold district can be subdivided into seven stages
(Fig. 11). Stage I mainly consists of euhedral or subhedral quartz, albite,
and minor muscovites. Stage II consists of Ms1 (60 vol.%), Ap1 and
quartz with minor chalcopyrite, rutile and carbonate. Stage III is represented by a large number of Py1 and Py2 grains that are disseminated
in altered host rocks (Fig. 5). Stage IV is marked by abundant arsenopyrite grains that coexist with coarse-grained pyrite (Py3a in veins and
Py3b in altered host rocks) and other sulde minerals (Fig. 6). Stage V
consists of Py4, calcite, ne-grained quartz, minor chalcopyrite,
tetrahedrite, and rutile in veins (Fig. 7ab). Stage VI is represented by
Py5, Chl3, carbonate, and quartz (Figs. 7cf; 10cd). Stage VII mainly

Fig. 6. Hydrothermal Py3 and coexisting sulde minerals in the Hatu gold district. a) Sulde mineralsquartzmuscoviteankerite vein cuts the mudstone-bearing interlayer and altered
tuff, plane-polarized light; b) Detail of a). Py3a coexists with arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and bournonite, BSE; c) Native gold lls the fractures of arsenopyrite coexisting
with Py3a, BSE; de) Disseminated Py3b and arsenopyrite in altered tuff, BSE; f) Native gold within the intergranular space of arsenopyrite and Py3b, reected light. Apy arsenopyrite,
Au native gold, Bnn bournonite, Ccp chalcopyrite, Py pyrite, and Sp sphalerite.

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L. Wang, Y. Zhu / Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

consists of coarse-grained quartz, calcite, ankerite, and minor inclusions


of Ap3 (Fig. 10b), with no sulde minerals.
5. Geochemistry
5.1. Analytical methods
The electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) of sulde minerals was
conducted using a JXA-8100 electron microprobe at Peking University.
We observed the texture of minerals under BSE very carefully and
only selected the homogenous surface without mineral inclusions for
the electron probe microanalysis to minimize the interference of
mineral inclusions, except for framboidal pyrite. The interspaces of
pyrite microcrystals inside the framboids are too small (b 1 m) for
the diameter of the electron beam to avoid contamination of inclusions.
The anomalous element concentration of framboidal pyrite will be
discussed below. Elements and X-ray lines used for the analysis are Fe
(Ka), As (L), S (Ka), Pb (M), Ni (K), Ag (L), Cu (K), Zn (K), Sb

(L) and Au (L). Operating conditions included an accelerating voltage


of 20 kV and beam current of 10 nA, and the electron beam was ~1 m in
diameter. The counting time was 10 s on peak, 5 s on low background
position and 5 s on high background position for each element. Standard
specimens used for calibration were FeS2 (Fe, S), CoAsS (As), PbS (Pb),
FeNiS (Ni), native silver (Ag), CuO (Cu), ZnS (Zn), Sb (TeSb) and native
gold (Au). All of the standards (natural and synthetic) were tested
for homogeneity before their utilization for quantitative analysis.
The ZAF correction method was used for standardization. Minimum
detection limits of sulde minerals are Fe (200 ppm), As (200 ppm), S
(200 ppm), Pb (400 ppm), Ni (300 ppm), Ag (200 ppm), Cu
(400 ppm), Zn (400 ppm), Sb (200 ppm) and Au (0.1 wt.%). The standard deviations (S.D.) of Fe, S, Ni, and Au are 0.620.67%, 0.280.46%,
59.83100%, and 100113% respectively. The S.D. of As is 0.74% for
arsenopyrite, 3.89% for Py1, Py2, and Py3, and 8.52% for Py4 and Py5.
The other trace elements (Pb, Ag, Cu, Zn, and Sb) display S.D. values
that are commonly greater than 100% because of insignicant concentration. The S.D. values of Au and Ag are less than 1% for EPMA of gold.

Fig. 7. Hydrothermal Py4, Py5 and coexisting minerals in the Hatu gold district. a) Calcitequartz vein contains trace Py4, cross polarized light; b) Detail of a). Subhedral Py4 coexists with
minor chalcopyrite and tetrahedrite, reected light; c) Disseminated Py5 without inclusions in altered tuff of Qi-V deposit; d) Py5 coexists with chlorite (Chl3), ilmenite, calcite and quartz
in vein; e) Subhedralanhedral Py5 in calcitequartzchlorite-(Chl3)ilmenite vein; f) Detail of e). Py5 overgrows the ilmenite which is partly replaced by rutile. c), d), e), and f) are under
BSE. Cc calcite, Chl chlorite, Ilm ilmenite, Py pyrite, Qz quartz, and Rt rutile.

L. Wang, Y. Zhu / Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

The results are presented in Table 2. The EPMA of the gangue minerals
utilized the JXA-8100 electron microprobe at the Institute of Geology
and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The operation conditions
were the same as the sulde analyses, except for lowering the accelerating voltage to 15 kV. The counting time was 10 s on peak, 10 s on low
background position and 10 s on high background position for each
element. The standards are the following: diopside (Si, Ca), rutile (Ti),
hematite (Fe), MnO (Mn), MgO (Mg), potassium feldspar (K, Al), strontium titanate (Sr), benitoite (Ba), albite (Na) and apatite (P). Minimum
detection limits of gangue minerals are Na (200 ppm), Ba (400 ppm),
Mg (100 ppm), Sr (300 ppm), Ti (200 ppm), K (100 ppm), Al
(100 ppm), P (400 ppm), Mn (200 ppm), Ca (200 ppm), Si (200 ppm),
and Fe (200 ppm). The S.D. values of EMPA for muscovite are the following: Si (0.36%), Ti (9.78%), Al (0.29%), Fe (1.85%), Mn (159.72%), Mg
(2.07%), Ca (9.87%), Na (11.81%), K (0.64%), and P (44.51%). The S.D.
values of EMPA for chlorite are the following: Si (0.51%), Ti (61.54%),
Al (0.44%), Fe (0.37%), Mn (16.38%), Mg (0.64%), Ca (29.36%), Na
(100%), K (21.96%), and P (67.57%). The EMPA results of muscovite
and chlorite were listed in Tables 3 and 4, respectively. For the spectral
interferences of EMPA, we commonly replaced the line by the line,
or the M lines by the L lines to correct some interference. If the spectral
lines cannot be effectively replaced, such as PbM/SK, we used
software to correct the interferences, including elemental simulating
spectrum (Reed and Buckley, 1996), least-square tting and spectral
deconvolution in Matlab (Chen and Ren, 2005). To ensure the quality
of the data, the critical total value of our EMPA is 98.5 wt.% for pyrite,
98.5 wt.% for arsenopyrite, 99 wt.% for gold, 93 wt.% for muscovite,
and 86.5 wt.% for chlorite. Because the porous texture of framboidal
pyrite will result in a lesser count, we accepted the critical total value
of 98 wt.% for framboidal pyrite.
Pyrite for trace element analysis was separated by hand picking from
the b0.2 mm fractions and was ground in an agate mill. The pyrite

251

powders contained by a corundum crucible were placed into a mufe


furnace at 600 C for 3 h in order to be oxidized to hematite.
Subsequently, the hematite was dissolved with a HNO3HCl mixture
in a closed Teon bottle at 100 C for at least 24 h and analyzed for Au
and other trace elements using Agilent 7500 inductively coupled
plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) at Peking University. Finally, the
trace element concentration in hematite was converted to that of pyrite
based on the loss on ignition during oxidation. The sulde mineral
inclusions, mostly including chalcopyrite, sphalerite, tetrahedrite, and
gold, are widespread within pyrite crystals (Figs. 57) and cannot be
totally eliminated by these processes mentioned above. Thus, in the
trace element analysis, the concentrations of Cu, Sb, Zn, Ag (and/or Au,
Co, and Ni), which are commonly below the detection limit of EMPA
(Table 2), mainly reect the effect of inclusions in pyrite, and the concentration of Au corresponds to the invisible gold of pyrite (discussed
in Section 6.2). However, these data are also meaningful because they
represent the mineral assemblage coexisting with pyrite, and can
illustrate the evolution of mineral paragenesis and gold mineralization.
We will discuss more detailed information in Section 6. The detection
limits of trace element in pyrite are the following: As (0.11 ppm), Au
(0.01 ppm), Ag (0.08 ppm), Co (0.01 ppm), Ni (0.06 ppm), Cu
(0.21 ppm), Zn (0.11 ppm), Sb (0.04 ppm), and Pb (0.09 ppm). The
accuracies are b5% for Cu and Ni, and 10% for As, Au, Ag, Co, Zn, Sb,
and Pb. The precisions are 58% for Co, Ni, Cu, and Pb, ~ 10% for Au,
and 10%15% for As, Ag, Zn and Sb. The results and errors are listed in
Table 3.
Whole rock samples for trace element analysis were carefully washed
in distilled water, crushed twice, sieved to a grain size of 250 m and
ground to 75 m in an agate mill, dissolved in HCl-HNO3-HF, and nally
analyzed by Agilent 7500 ICP-MS at Peking University. Unaltered samples, weak-altered samples, and altered and mineralized ore samples
were collected from fresh zoning, weak altered zoning and gold mining,

Fig. 8. Gangue mineral assemblages prior to the gold mineralization. a) Pre-ore muscovite (Ms1)apatite (Ap1)chalcopyritequartz vein and disseminated ankerite and siderite in the
Hatu deposit, BSE; b) Detail of a). Contact relationship of muscovite (Ms1), apatite (Ap1), chalcopyrite and quartz; c) The muscovitequartz veinlet is cut by calcitequartz vein in the
Qi-III deposit, cross polarized light; d) Detail of c). Muscovite (Ms1) coexists with quartz. Ank ankerite, Ap apatite, Cc calcite, Ccp chalcopyrite, Ms muscovite, Qz quartz,
and Sd siderite.

252

L. Wang, Y. Zhu / Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

respectively. Mineralized tuffs commonly contain much more sulde


minerals than altered ones. The accuracies are 2% for trace elements
with concentration greater than 20 ppm, and 510% for trace elements
at contents lesser than 10 ppm (Zhu et al., 2015). The precisions are
approximately 5% for most of elements, except for Cr, Co, and Ni (~10%)
and Au (1015%). The results are listed in Table 6.
5.2. Mineral chemistry
Based on the EPMA data, the framboidal and ne-grained pyrite are
generally poor in As (b0.68 wt.%) and enriched in Ni (up to 0.19 wt.%)
compared to the bulk of hydrothermal pyrite (Fig. 12ab; gh). Individual framboids with anomalous concentration of Cu (1.50 wt.% and 2.04
wt.%) reect the contamination by tiny chalcopyrite inclusions lled in
the interspace of pyrite microcrystals (Fig. 4ef). In contrast, multistage hydrothermal pyrite generally contains greater concentrations of
As than framboidal pyrite. The content of As in Py1 can be divided into
two groups: 0.13 to 0.67 wt.% that is slightly greater than framboid

and 1.03 to 1.77 wt.% that is consistent with the later formed Py2
(Fig. 12gh; Table 2). This bimodal composition, together with the
porous and overgrown texture of Py1 suggests that Py1 is the remnant
of framboidal pyrite that was overprinted by the subsequent hydrothermal uids. Py2 contains greater concentrations of As than Py1 (Fig. 12c),
and Py3 that coexists with arsenopyrite displays the greatest As content
(Py3a: 0.84 to 3.97 wt.%; Py3b: 1.5 to 2.23 wt.%; Fig. 12d). The arsenian
pyrite in the Hatu and Qi-III deposits shows a negative correlation
between As and S content (Fig. 12h). This indicates that arsenic was
probably incorporated into pyrite by substitution of sulfur. The
post-ore Py4 is decient in As content (~ 0.29 wt.%; Fig. 12e). Py5 in
the Qi-V deposit also contains negligible amounts of As (b1%; Fig. 12fh).
This is consistent with the absence of arsenopyrite in the post-ore
stages.
Hydrothermal pyrite contains a wide range of trace elements
according to the ICP-MS analysis, the most abundant of which are As,
Au, Ag, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sb, and Pb (Table 3). The ore-related Py2 and
Py3 in the Hatu and Qi-III deposits and the post-ore Py5 in the Qi-V

Fig. 9. Gangue mineral assemblages related to the ore-forming process. a) Muscovite (Ms2) coexisting with Py3a, arsenopyrite, ankerite, and quartz concentrate in the margin of vein cutting the mudstone in the Hatu deposit, cross polarized light; b) Ms2Py3aarsenopyritequartz vein in the Qi-III deposit, cross polarized light; c) Detail of a). Chlorite (Chl1) coexists with
sulde and quartz, plane-polarized light; d) Apatite (Ap2) in suldeMs2Chl1ankeritequartz, BSE; e) Assemblage of chlorite (Chl2)muscovite (Ms3)quartzchalcopyrite overgrows
the disseminated Py3b, plane-polarized light; f) Detail of e). Ank ankerite, Qz quartz, Py pyrite, Asp arsenopyrite, Chl chlorite, Ap apatite, Ms muscovite.

L. Wang, Y. Zhu / Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

253

Fig. 10. Gangue mineral assemblages following gold mineralization. a) Coarse-grained quartz, ankerite and calcite in late vein, cross polarized light; b) Subhedral apatite (Ap3) surrounded
by calcite and quartz; c. Ilmenitechloritecalcitequartz vein cuts the altered tuff; d. Detail of c. Ilmenite coexists with apatite (Ap3), chlorite (Chl3), calcite, and quartz. b), c), and d) are
under BSE. Ank ankerite, Ap apatite, Cc calcite, Chl chlorite, Ilm ilmenite, and Qz quartz.

Fig. 11. The paragenetic sequence of minerals in the Hatu gold district. The shadow bar stands for the ore-forming process.

254

L. Wang, Y. Zhu / Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

Table 2
Representative compositions of pyrite, arsenopyrite, and native gold in the Hatu gold district by EPMA (in wt.%).
Mineral

Deposit

Stage

Fe

As

Pb

Ni

Ag

Cu

Zn

Sb

Au

Total

Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Py1
Py1
Py1
Py1
Py1
Py1
Py1
Py1
Py1
Py1
Py1
Py1
Py1
Py1
Py2
Py2
Py2
Py2
Py2
Py2
Py2
Py2
Py2
Py2
Py2
Py2
Py2
Py2
Py2
Py2
Py2
Py2
Py2
Py2
Py2

Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-V
Qi-V
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III

Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
Framboid
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
III
III
III
III
III
III
III
III
III
III
III
III
III
III
III
III
III
III
III
III
III

46.77
46.34
46.40
47.14
46.92
46.43
46.49
46.34
46.00
47.15
45.83
46.34
44.83
46.88
47.37
47.68
47.23
47.24
47.10
46.04
45.51
46.00
46.91
45.57
47.00
46.63
46.94
46.47
46.94
46.00
46.96
46.63
46.97
47.21
47.67
46.30
46.15
46.46
45.58
45.38
47.21
46.34
46.44
45.82
46.33
45.98
46.32
46.14
47.03
45.91
45.93
45.99
46.5
45.92
46.36
47.66
47.28
46.67
46.69
46.29
48.39
46.63
46.73
47.94
45.82
47.41
46.44
46.07
46.39
46.29
46.26
46.86
46.81
46.14
46.72

0.13
0.37
0.12
0.14
0.18
0.05
0.68
0.25
0.27
0.31
0.35
0.10
0.21
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.05
0.07
0.15
0.28
0.21
0.28
bmdl
0.14
0.08
0.14
0.08
0.16
0.14
0.30
bmdl
0.07
0.02
0.06
0.04
0.20
0.02
0.05
1.7
0.28
0.13
1.03
1.22
1.36
1.10
0.67
1.34
1.63
1.77
0.35
1.06
1.20
1.91
1.71
1.74
1.57
1.62
0.90
1.07
1.14
1.19
1.23
1.95
1.43
1.58
1.58
1.79
1.41
1.22
0.91
1.28
0.96
1.02

52.00
52.17
51.71
51.47
51.83
52.12
52.30
51.91
52.98
51.28
52.09
52.59
51.20
52.54
51.36
50.86
52.57
51.96
51.98
51.23
52.44
51.83
51.57
51.61
51.25
51.93
52.21
51.68
51.61
52.78
52.11
52.31
51.87
51.50
51.93
52.43
51.84
52.08
52.51
52.2
50.66
52.35
52.73
52.10
51.73
51.82
51.81
52.47
51.01
51.43
51.00
52.25
51.90
51.54
51.03
51.34
51.23
51.88
51.27
51.82
51.87
52.04
51.59
51.21
50.72
51.53
51.86
51.84
51.64
50.75
51.83
51.72
51.49
51.50
51.54

0.13
0.09
1.18
0.27
0.39
0.14
0.19
0.22
0.17
bmdl
0.29
0.15
0.50
0.15
0.18
0.18
0.33
0.16
0.13
0.63
0.06
0.30
0.12
0.16
0.12
0.20
0.18
0.13
0.17
0.15
0.27
0.24
0.16
0.19
0.18
0.19
0.09
0.14
0.14
0.18
0.14
0.07
bmdl
0.19
0.10
0.11
0.14
0.11
0.22
0.12
0.29
0.20
0.07
0.13
0.11
0.08
bmdl
0.08
0.16
0.13
0.11
0.20
0.17
0.19
0.21
0.16
0.15
0.08
0.06
0.11
bmdl
0.04
0.07
bmdl
0.13

0.08
0.12
bmdl
bmdl
0.11
bmdl
0.08
0.08
bmdl
bmdl
0.14
bmdl
0.10
bmdl
0.08
0.05
0.04
0.03
bmdl
bmdl
0.05
0.19
0.14
0.17
0.03
bmdl
0.04
0.05
0.08
0.11
0.08
0.08
0.03
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.06
0.04
0.03
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.05
0.03
0.09
bmdl
0.09
bmdl
0.04
0.07
0.07
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.05
bmdl
bmdl
0.04
0.06
0.04
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.04
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl

bmdl
0.02
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.03
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.03
bmdl
bmdl
0.02
0.02
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.05
bmdl
bmdl
0.04
0.02
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.03
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.02
bmdl
bmdl
0.02
bmdl
0.02
bmdl
0.05
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.02
0.04
bmdl

bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.07
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.09
0.20
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
2.04
bmdl
bmdl
0.06
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
1.50
0.13
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.05
0.06
0.10
bmdl
0.10
0.05
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.05
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.04
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.07
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.04
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.05
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.06

bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.04
0.15
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.04
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.05
bmdl
bmdl
0.06
bmdl
0.05
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.04
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.05
bmdl
0.04
bmdl
0.05
bmdl
0.06
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.04
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.05
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl

0.09
0.04
0.04
0.06
0.03
0.07
0.02
0.04
bmdl
0.03
0.08
0.04
0.13
bmdl
0.02
bmdl
0.05
bmdl
0.02
0.03
bmdl
0.08
0.08
0.15
bmdl
0.04
0.08
0.06
0.03
0.09
0.03
0.08
0.02
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.02
0.03
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.05
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.04
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.02
0.02
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl

bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.21
0.13
0.15
0.29
0.13
0.12
bmdl
0.12
bmdl
0.14
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.11
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.15
0.15
bmdl
bmdl
0.11
bmdl
0.20
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.13
bmdl
0.10
bmdl
bmdl
0.17
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.12
0.13
bmdl
0.25
bmdl
0.39
bmdl
0.17
bmdl
bmdl
0.12
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.14
0.13
bmdl
0.18
0.14

99.28
99.21
99.57
99.15
99.49
98.87
99.81
99.10
99.79
99.02
99.00
99.40
99.18
99.89
99.26
99.01
100.25
99.54
99.62
98.41
99.80
99.26
99.08
98.18
98.43
99.30
99.61
98.75
99.32
99.32
99.78
99.75
99.06
99.28
100.02
99.09
98.33
99.06
98.39
98.06
99.79
99.25
99.35
99.27
99.45
99.53
99.54
99.58
99.71
99.22
99.50
98.86
99.63
98.85
99.83
100.93
100.31
100.50
99.77
99.71
101.59
100.27
99.88
100.70
99.16
100.57
100.13
99.61
99.95
98.67
99.53
99.66
99.77
98.85
99.64

As*

L. Wang, Y. Zhu / Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

255

Table 2 (continued)
Mineral

Deposit

Stage

Fe

As

Pb

Ni

Ag

Cu

Zn

Sb

Au

Total

Py2
Py2
Py2
Py3a
Py3a
Py3a
Py3a
Py3a
Py3a
Py3a
Py3a
Py3a
Py3a
Py3a
Py3a
Py3a
Py3a
Py3a
Py3a
Py3a
Py3a
Py3a
Py3a
Py3b
Py3b
Py3b
Py3b
Py3b
Py3b
Py3b
Py4
Py4
Py4
Py4
Py4
Py4
Py4
Py4
Py4
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5
Py5

Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V

III
III
III
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI
VI

46.94
46.71
46.34
46.61
46.96
46.50
45.75
45.74
46.28
45.89
46.35
46.59
47.14
46.75
46.99
46.80
46.97
46.56
46.95
46.78
46.47
45.90
46.67
47.68
46.05
46.07
46.1
45.91
46.18
45.92
46.89
47.35
46.33
46.37
46.77
47.71
47.28
46.51
47.18
47.41
46.66
46.93
47.24
46.69
47.25
47.33
47.18
47.09
47.22
46.83
46.81
47.62
46.67
46.25
47.04
46.98
46.66
46.39
46.65
46.10
46.91
46.50
46.18
46.2
46.44
46.08
46.50
46.43
46.44
47.05
46.31
47.06
46.48
46.67
45.89

1.88
1.55
0.86
2.06
1.94
1.50
1.49
1.44
1.25
1.42
1.74
1.40
1.28
1.32
0.84
2.02
1.49
2.00
0.95
2.06
2.06
3.97
1.71
1.71
2.23
2.21
1.80
1.72
2.05
1.50
bmdl
0.03
1.67
0.54
0.10
0.02
0.15
0.08
0.04
bmdl
bmdl
0.36
0.62
0.60
0.03
0.27
0.14
bmdl
bmdl
0.90
0.68
0.27
0.26
0.23
bmdl
0.02
bmdl
bmdl
0.06
0.13
bmdl
0.51
0.08
bmdl
0.15
bmdl
0.02
0.03
0.60
0.14
0.04
0.03
0.02
0.07
0.04

49.83
51.29
51.85
51.78
51.55
51.85
51.73
52.00
52.08
52.14
51.61
52.20
52.40
52.67
52.10
50.84
52.12
50.46
51.48
50.50
51.07
49.37
50.91
50.69
51.00
50.55
51.31
51.15
51.51
51.15
52.89
52.64
51.17
53.49
52.43
53.03
52.36
52.94
52.94
52.83
53.18
52.68
52.8
52.89
53.42
52.9
52.59
52.82
53.15
53.3
53.04
53.06
53.14
53.32
52.74
52.90
53.87
53.67
54.03
53.78
53.07
52.81
53.01
53.5
52.74
53.31
53.27
52.4
52.48
53.11
53.86
52.88
53.12
53.52
53.32

0.13
0.05
0.11
bmdl
bmdl
0.06
0.05
0.04
0.05
0.09
bmdl
0.10
0.07
bmdl
0.07
0.04
0.06
0.12
0.17
0.13
bmdl
0.09
0.04
0.13
0.17
0.18
0.21
0.08
0.09
0.19
0.15
0.16
0.16
0.11
0.14
0.10
0.14
0.18
0.17
0.05
0.06
bmdl
0.11
0.07
0.13
bmdl
0.06
bmdl
0.07
0.09
0.15
0.15
0.11
0.07
0.21
0.05
0.13
0.20
0.13
0.12
0.19
0.14
0.11
0.15
0.06
0.14
0.07
0.12
0.07
0.07
0.11
0.06
0.05
0.14
0.11

bmdl
bmdl
0.09
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.04
0.04
bmdl
0.05
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.05
bmdl
bmdl
0.03
bmdl
0.05
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.09
0.09
0.03
0.04
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.03
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.08
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.03
0.05
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.05
0.03
0.03
0.06
bmdl
0.03
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.05
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl

0.03
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.06
bmdl
0.02
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.04
bmdl
0.02
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.02
bmdl
0.02
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.02
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.02
0.02
bmdl
0.03
0.02
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.02
bmdl
0.04
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.02
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl

0.04
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.04
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.05
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.05
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.05
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.06
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.04
bmdl
bmdl
0.04
0.05
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl

bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.04
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.04
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.05
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.04
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.04
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.05
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.06
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.05
bmdl
0.09

bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.04
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.02
0.04
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.02
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.02
0.04
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl

bmdl
0.16
0.21
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.10
bmdl
bmdl
0.30
0.25
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.18
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.12
0.12
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.13
bmdl
0.12
bmdl
0.15
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.21
0.12
bmdl
bmdl
0.23
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.28
0.17
0.10
bmdl
0.13

98.85
99.82
99.47
100.47
100.58
99.96
99.05
99.27
99.70
99.61
99.80
100.35
100.89
100.87
100.11
99.83
100.70
99.28
99.63
99.63
99.72
99.62
99.37
100.22
99.62
99.33
99.43
99.4
99.88
98.86
100.17
100.28
99.39
100.58
99.51
101
100.05
99.72
100.35
100.35
99.95
100.02
100.83
100.4
100.87
100.71
100.11
99.97
100.5
101.31
100.77
101.26
100.22
100.07
100.09
100
100.69
100.31
100.89
100.22
100.2
100.11
99.69
99.98
99.53
99.64
100.15
99.05
99.65
100.44
100.66
100.27
99.86
100.43
99.61

As*

(continued on next page)

256

L. Wang, Y. Zhu / Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

Table 2 (continued)
Mineral

Deposit

Stage

Fe

As

Pb

Ni

Ag

Cu

Zn

Sb

Au

Total

As*

Py5
Py5
Py5
Asp
Asp
Asp
Asp
Asp
Asp
Asp
Asp
Asp
Asp
Asp
Gold
Gold
Gold

Qi-V
Qi-V
Qi-V
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Qi-III
Hatu
Hatu
Qi-III

VI
VI
VI
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
III
III
IV

46.91
46.81
46.73
37.98
37.57
37.96
36.57
37.06
36.03
35.75
36.42
36.25
36.30
36.48
0.96
1.74
0.15

bmdl
0.18
bmdl
40.35
40.69
40.35
39.63
40.19
43.10
42.16
40.84
40.46
41.89
41.55
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl

52.73
52.46
53.02
22.18
21.86
21.85
22.67
21.85
21.64
21.96
22.06
21.60
20.66
22.52
0.05
0.12
0.05

0.19
0.16
0.11
0.09
bmdl
0.05
0.07
0.13
0.12
bmdl
bmdl
0.09
0.09
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.06

bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.04
bmdl
0.04
bmdl
bmdl
0.04
0.04
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.03

bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.02
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.02
bmdl
6.63
6.69
5.16

bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.06

bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.04
bmdl
bmdl
0.08
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.72
0.54
0.22

bmdl
bmdl
0.03
0.07
0.06
0.25
0.38
0.05
0.05
bmdl
bmdl
0.05
0.16
0.02
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl

0.17
bmdl
bmdl
bmdl
0.17
bmdl
0.10
bmdl
bmdl
0.26
0.12
0.22
bmdl
0.26
91.43
91.32
93.72

99.85
99.65
99.97
100.74
100.41
100.54
99.77
99.29
101.01
100.29
99.51
98.68
99.23
100.84
99.8
100.41
99.45

28.19
28.62
28.35
27.98
28.51
30.35
29.81
28.91
28.99
30.17
29.03

As* = The As atomic percent (at.%) in Asp; mdl = minimum detection limit. Py = pyrite, Asp = arsenopyrite.

gold deposit contain totally different trace element concentrations. The


gold content of Py2 and Py3 varies from 4.3 to 32.54 ppm, which is
signicantly greater than that of Py5 (1.07 to 1.42 ppm, Fig. 13a). Similarly, arsenic is preferentially concentrated in Py2 and Py3 (12,760 to
25,730 ppm) rather than Py5 (1920 to 2130 ppm, Fig. 13a), which is
consistent with the EPMA results (Fig. 12). The silver content of pyrite
varies from 0.54 to 3.53 ppm, and there is no obvious correlation
between the gold and silver content in ore-related pyrite. The concentrations of Cu and Sb in Py2 and Py3 show a positive correlation, and
Py5 is obviously decient in Sb but enriched in Cu (Fig. 13b). The Cu
and Zn content of pyrite increase from the Hatu and Qi-III deposits to
the Qi-V deposit (Fig. 13c).
According to EPMA, the As concentration of arsenopyrite in the Hatu
gold district (37.34 to 43.1 wt.%; Table 2) is obviously less than the
standard molecular formula (46 wt.%). On the contrary, the Fe (35.75
to 38.23 wt.%; Table 2) and S (20.66 to 24.1 wt.%) concentrations of
arsenopyrite are greater than the standard molecular formula (Fe:
34 wt.%, S: 20 wt.%). The As atomic percent in arsenopyrite is 27.98 to
30.35 at.%. Gold grains coexisting with Py2 and Py3 contain a certain
amount of Ag (5.16 to 6.69 wt.%) and can be referred to as native gold.
The composition of muscovite in the Hatu gold district is between
the standard muscovite formula and phengite based on EPMA
(Table 4; Fig. 14a), which suggests that Si4 + contained in uids was
largely oversaturated. The FeO and MgO content of Ms1 displays a
positive correlation (Fig. 14b). However, the ore-related Ms2 and Ms3
have a wide range of FeO and MgO concentrations. Some compositions
of muscovite lie along the muscoviteceledonite trend in the AlM2+Si
ternary diagram (Monier and Robert, 1986; Fig. 14c), which implies that
minor amounts of Fe3+ were incorporated into muscovite by substitution of four coordinate Al (Monier and Robert, 1986; Jeong and Sung,
1999). However, other muscovites are deviating to the annite end member, which means that the effect of Fe3+ substitution might decrease
during gold deposition. Chlorite is commonly concentrated in Fe but
depleted in Mg and is plotted in ferroamesite and prochlorite elds of
the FeSiFe/(Mg + Fe) diagram (Deer et al., 1962; Fig. 14d). The values
of Al/(Al + Fe + Mg) of chlorite are greater than 0.32 and mostly N0.35
(Table 5). Chlorite related to mineralization (Chl1, Chl2) is generally
concentrated in Fe, Mg, and Mn compared to Chl3 developed in the
post-ore stage (Table 5).
5.3. Whole rock trace elements
The logarithmic isocon diagram (Fig. 15a) has been extensively used
to evaluate the gain or loss of major and trace elements during hydrothermal alteration (Grant, 1986; Yigit and Hofstra, 2003). The isocons
with 1 slope consist of a constant mass line passing through the origin
and a parallel line dened by immobile elements, such as high eld

strength elements (HFSEs: Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta) and heavy rare earth elements.
The isocon below the constant mass line implies mass increase during
alteration, in which case, the concentrations of immobile elements
were diluted due to the incorporation of other components, such as
quartz or carbonate. Furthermore, elements plotted above the isocons
indicate that they were introduced into host rocks by hydrothermal
uids during alteration and vice versa. Ba, Sm, Nd, Co, HFSE and heavy
REE comprise the line of mass increase (R2 = 0.9999, Fig. 15a). The
mineralized samples in the Hatu gold district are generally concentrated
in Cs, Rb, Sr, Au, As, Sb, Cu, and Pb, and slightly rich in P, V, U, Th, La, and
Ce based on ICP-MS analysis. Conversely, unaltered samples contain
greater Ti, Mn and Cr relative to altered tuff. Similar to mineralized
tuff, weak and strong altered host rocks also contain greater Cs and Rb
compared to unaltered tuff (Fig. 15b). However, only mineralized
samples are extremely rich in Au, Sb, and As (Fig. 15cd), which are
not concentrated in altered samples lacking sulde minerals. In
addition, the Au content of weak altered samples is commonly less
than unaltered samples.
6. Discussion
6.1. Origin of framboidal pyrite
Framboidal pyrite mostly occurs in sedimentary environments
(Love, 1971; Wilkin and Barnes, 1997), though it could also form during
metamorphism and hydrothermal alteration (Scott et al., 2009).
Framboidal pyrite in the Hatu gold district is restricted in strong altered
carbonaceous mudstones or in volcanicsedimentary rocks, rather than
in hydrothermal veins, and is generally lled or overgrown by hydrothermal pyrite, chalcopyrite, and arsenopyrite (Fig. 4ef). Therefore,
we believe that the studied framboidal pyrite and the coexisting
ne-grained subhedral pyrite were formed during sedimentation prior
to the hydrothermal process. According to EPMA data, framboidal and
ne-grained pyrite are relatively rich in Ni but decient in As compared
to the hydrothermal pyrite (Fig. 12g) similar to the composition of diageneticsedimentary pyrite developed in some other sediment-hosted
disseminated gold deposits (Large et al., 2007, 2009).
Compared to those in the weak alteration and unaltered zones, the
tuff, tuffaceous siltstones, and mudstones in the intense alteration
zone contain signicant pyrite framboids. The relatively reduced or
anoxic conditions, such as the sedimentary environment of shale
(Amstutz et al., 1967), carbonaceous graywacke (Love, 1971), and modern marine sediments (Wilkin and Barnes, 1996), are favorable for the
formation of framboids. Experimental synthesis by Butler and
Rickard (2000) proposed a mechanism to form framboids in relatively reduced or anoxic conditions through rapid oxidation of FeS. This
reaction is favored by increasing Eh and more oxidized conditions

W12-17
Py5
1920 192
1.42 0.14
0.83 0.08
105 11
79.5 4.0
488 24
709 71
11.30 1.13
128 13
82.76
W12-14
Py5
2130 213
1.07 0.11
0.89 0.09
97.5 9.8
69.5 3.5
491 25
756 76
11.35 1.14
208 21
82.96
W12-38
Py3b
25,730 2573
5.30 0.53
0.54 0.05
45.1 4.5
32.5 1.6
163 8
351 35
102 10
48.81 4.88
3.08
QIII-4
Py3a + Pyb
25,560 2556
3.99 0.40
2.74 0.27
16.0 1.6
32.9 1.7
303 15
568 57
129 13
87.32 8.73
4.50
W12-40
Py2
12,760 1276
12.48 1.25
3.53 0.35
25.7 2.6
48.3 2.4
196 10
140 14
103 10
135 14
3.67
HT10-24b
Py3a + Py3b
11,640 1164
8.47 0.85
0.31 0.03
47.7 4.8
100 5
131 7
192 19
83.08 8.31
80.06 8.01
3.03
Q2-1
Py3a
17,560 1756
5.17 0.52
1.14 0.11
30.1 3.0
33.2 1.7
68.57 3.43
41.70 4.17
43.13 4.31
36.03 3.60
3.05
HT10-21
Py2
17,910 1791
4.30 0.43
0.17 0.02
35.4 3.5
85.1 4.3
77.87 3.89
41.89 4.19
95.77 9.58
42.08 4.21
1.56
Sample
Sub-type
As
Au
Ag
Co
Ni
Cu
Zn
Sb
Pb
Cu/Sb molar ratio

KY00X
Py2
11,380 1377
32.54 3.25
3.15 0.32
40.1 4.0
44.12 2.2
68.52 3.43
190 19
39.74 3.97
156 16
3.30

KY005
Py2
14,300 1430
8.95 0.90
0.73 0.07
49.9 5.0
111 6
67.06 3.35
120 12
70.59 7.06
66.23 6.62
1.82

HT10-3
Py3b
24,430 2443
17.32 1.73
1.38 0.14
42.1 4.2
87.5 4.4
66.69 3.33
342 34
45.01 4.50
20.16 2.02
2.84

HT10-24a
Py3a + Py3b
15,990 1600
7.52 0.75
0.21 0.02
44.8 4.5
92.2 4.6
123 6
233 23
60.18 6.02
75.57 7.56
3.91

Qi-III
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Hatu
Deposit

Table 3
Trace element contents of multi-stage pyrite in the Hatu gold district by ICP-MS (in ppm).

Hatu

Hatu

Qi-III

Qi-III

Qi-V

Qi-V

L. Wang, Y. Zhu / Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

257

near the SO24 /S2 redox boundary (Butler and Rickard, 2000). In
euxinic basins, framboids form at a maximum rate above the sedimentwater interface (Wilkin and Barnes, 1997), where pyrite solubility changes abruptly due to the reduced-oxidized conversion and a
highly FeS2 supersaturated uid. The nucleation rate is much faster
than the crystallization rate under the circumstances above, facilitating
the formation of framboidal structures (Ohfuji and Rickard, 2005). Note
that the reduced carbonaceous mudstone is interbedded with relatively
oxidized tuff in the intense altered zone of the Hatu district. This
suggests that the redox condition for sedimentation had alternated
and multi reduced-oxidized boundaries developed. Thus, abundant
framboids preferentially formed within the black mudstone-bearing
tuff-tuffaceous siltstone sequence in a reaction similar to the mechanism proposed by Butler and Rickard (2000) and Ohfuji and Rickard
(2005). However, as FeS2 supersaturation and the nucleation rate
decrease, pyrite will tend to form ne-grained subhedral morphology instead of framboids (Large et al., 2009). The coexisting paragenesis and
similar composition of framboidal and ne-grained pyrite (Table 2)
also indicate that they have a common sedimentary origin.
6.2. Metallogenic evolution
Major deposits of the Hatu gold district, namely Hatu, Qi-III, and
Qi-V, are characterized by multi-stage pyrite. Depending on the texture,
paragenetic, and mineral chemistry of pyrite and coexisting muscovite
and chlorite, we can delineate the evolution of the ore system and
constrain the composition and physicochemistry conditions of the
hydrothermal uids. Here, we summarize the hydrothermal mineralization of the Hatu district into three processes (Fig. 11): pre-ore
(Stage-I to Stage-II), ore-forming (Stage-III to Stage-IV), and post-ore
(Stage-V to Stage-VII).
6.2.1. Pre-ore process (Stage-I to Stage-II)
Muscovite (Ms1) is the most abundant mineral in the pre-ore
process. The positive correlation between FeO and MgO in Ms1
(Fig. 14b) based on EPMA implies that Fe and Mg might substitute the
octahedron Al of Ms1 or exist as nanoparticles of ankerite. In the
AlM2+Si ternary diagram (Monier and Robert, 1986; Fig. 14c), some
of Ms1 is approximately along the muscoviteceledonite line, which
indicates that minor Fe3 + existed in earlier muscovites (Monier and
Robert, 1986). Except for chalcopyrite coexisting with Ms1 (Fig. 8ab),
the lesser concentration of sulde minerals during the pre-ore process
indicates that the concentration of metal in pre-ore uids would be limited. Based on uid inclusion thermometry, the temperature of Stage-I
of disseminated sulde mineral orebodies varies from 320 C to 360 C
(Dong, 2012), which is similar to the rst stage of Au-bearing quartz
veins (Fan et al., 1998).
6.2.2. Ore-forming process (Stage-III to Stage-IV)
The porous Py1, which is overgrown by later formed Py2 that is
coexisting with native gold, may form during the beginning of the
ore-forming process. Disseminated Py2 and the coarse-grained Py3
coexisting with arsenopyrite both precipitated during the ore-forming
process and contain signicant concentrations of As based on EPMA
and ICP-MS data (Figs. 12cd, gh; 13a). The negative correlation between As and S in these pyrites (Fig. 12h) indicate that As1 probably
substituted S1 within the lattice of pyrite, similar to other gold deposits
(Fleet and Mumin, 1997; Simon et al., 1999; Pals et al., 2003; Zachari
et al., 2004; Reich et al., 2005). Most of the Cu/Sb molar ratios of Py2 and
Py3 (Table 3) are close to tetrahedrite (Cu: Sb = 3). Thus, the positive
correlation between Cu and Sb in Py2 and Py3 corresponds to
tetrahedrite inclusions within ore-related pyrite, with two exceptions
(HT10-21 and KY005; Fig. 13b). In the AlM2 +Si ternary diagram
(Monier and Robert, 1986; Fig. 14c), the EPMA data of Ms2 and Ms3
coexisting with Py2 and Py3 are shifted toward the annite that contains
Fe2+ rather than Fe3+, which implies that the gold-forming condition

258

L. Wang, Y. Zhu / Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

Table 4
Representative compositions of muscovite in the Hatu gold deposit by EPMA (in wt.%, O = 22).
Muscovite

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Stage

II

II

II

II

II

II

II

II

II

II

II

II

II

II

II

48.61
0.25
32.25
2.09
bmdl
1.14
0.30
0.10
9.48
0.23
94.48
6.478
0.025
1.522
3.544
0.233
0
0.227
0.043
0.013
1.612
0.026
13.726

49.98
0.31
31.29
3.61
bmdl
1.68
0.26
0.11
9.70
0.12
97.05
6.540
0.031
1.460
3.366
0.395
0
0.328
0.036
0.013
1.619
0.013
13.802

48.45
0.29
32.89
1.64
bmdl
0.95
0.30
0.11
9.27
0.19
94.09
6.458
0.029
1.542
3.625
0.183
0
0.188
0.043
0.015
1.576
0.022
13.681

47.98
0.26
32.72
1.71
bmdl
0.93
0.27
0.11
9.42
0.18
93.57
6.442
0.026
1.558
3.620
0.192
0
0.187
0.038
0.015
1.614
0.021
13.712

49.63
0.27
30.64
3.55
bmdl
1.78
0.43
0.12
9.60
0.25
96.27
6.548
0.027
1.452
3.313
0.391
0
0.350
0.061
0.015
1.616
0.028
13.801

48.24
0.25
32.63
1.70
bmdl
0.99
0.44
0.12
9.46
0.30
94.13
6.443
0.025
1.557
3.580
0.190
0
0.198
0.063
0.016
1.611
0.034
13.717

49.00
0.30
31.93
1.88
bmdl
1.25
0.39
0.12
9.86
0.24
94.96
6.505
0.030
1.495
3.502
0.209
0
0.248
0.055
0.015
1.669
0.027
13.755

49.07
0.27
30.72
3.02
bmdl
1.59
0.46
0.10
9.96
0.32
95.51
6.526
0.027
1.474
3.340
0.335
0
0.316
0.065
0.013
1.690
0.036
13.823

49.27
0.33
31.94
2.13
bmdl
1.33
0.53
0.11
9.66
0.43
95.73
6.488
0.032
1.512
3.445
0.234
0
0.261
0.075
0.014
1.623
0.048
13.734

49.23
0.29
32.25
2.02
0.03
1.31
0.50
0.13
9.85
0.34
95.95
6.475
0.029
1.525
3.475
0.222
0.003
0.257
0.070
0.017
1.652
0.038
13.763

48.69
0.27
31.84
2.09
bmdl
1.28
0.43
0.08
9.80
0.30
94.77
6.484
0.027
1.516
3.483
0.232
0
0.254
0.061
0.010
1.665
0.034
13.766

48.90
0.26
31.72
1.97
0.02
1.35
0.54
0.13
9.82
0.41
95.11
6.487
0.025
1.513
3.448
0.219
0.002
0.266
0.076
0.017
1.662
0.046
13.761

49.27
0.36
32.65
1.74
bmdl
1.22
0.57
0.14
9.80
0.37
96.12
6.456
0.035
1.544
3.499
0.191
0
0.238
0.080
0.017
1.637
0.041
13.739

49.00
49.35
SiO2
0.23
0.32
TiO2
33.54
31.96
Al2O3
FeO
1.50
2.13
MnO
bmdl
bmdl
MgO
0.86
1.27
CaO
0.32
0.22
0.13
0.12
Na2O
8.89
9.47
K2O
0.13
0.14
P2O5
Total
94.60
94.97
Si
6.469
6.537
Ti
0.023
0.031
1.531
1.463
AlIV
3.687
3.528
AlVI
Fe
0.166
0.236
Mn
0
0
Mg
0.169
0.251
Ca
0.046
0.031
Na
0.016
0.015
K
1.497
1.601
P
0.015
0.015
Total
13.619
13.709
mdl = minimum detection limit.

Ms1

Muscovite

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Ms1

Stage

II

II

II

II

II

II

II

II

II

II

II

II

II

II

II

II

SiO2
TiO2
Al2O3
FeO
MnO
MgO
CaO
Na2O
K2O
P2O5
Total
Si
Ti
Al
AlIV
AlVI
Fe
Mn
Mg
Ca
Na
K
P
Total

48.58
0.23
30.84
2.75
bmdl
1.52
0.32
0.15
9.70
0.21
94.30
6.528
0.023
4.884
1.472
3.412
0.309
0
0.305
0.046
0.019
1.663
0.024
13.801

49.39
0.26
31.38
2.20
0.02
1.15
0.41
0.50
9.52
0.23
95.06
6.554
0.026
4.909
1.446
3.463
0.244
0.002
0.227
0.059
0.064
1.612
0.026
13.722

47.75
0.31
31.75
2.09
0.03
1.24
0.49
0.15
9.73
0.39
93.92
6.426
0.032
5.037
1.574
3.463
0.235
0.003
0.249
0.070
0.020
1.671
0.045
13.787

48.16
0.24
32.39
1.92
0.02
1.12
0.47
0.23
9.51
0.38
94.43
6.427
0.024
5.095
1.573
3.523
0.214
0.002
0.222
0.068
0.030
1.620
0.042
13.745

48.42
0.28
32.13
1.65
bmdl
0.97
0.36
0.21
9.49
0.21
93.71
6.494
0.028
5.079
1.506
3.573
0.185
0
0.194
0.051
0.027
1.623
0.023
13.706

49.51
0.26
31.70
2.47
bmdl
1.55
0.41
0.07
9.61
0.30
95.87
6.517
0.025
4.919
1.483
3.436
0.272
0
0.304
0.057
0.009
1.614
0.033
13.751

48.75
0.27
33.13
1.67
bmdl
1.07
0.26
0.12
9.49
0.10
94.88
6.453
0.027
5.169
1.547
3.622
0.185
0
0.212
0.037
0.016
1.603
0.011
13.712

48.69
0.40
32.01
1.99
bmdl
1.22
0.33
0.10
9.54
0.20
94.47
6.492
0.040
5.030
1.508
3.521
0.222
0
0.242
0.047
0.013
1.623
0.023
13.730

49.69
0.40
31.94
1.80
bmdl
1.17
0.41
0.07
8.43
0.34
94.25
6.571
0.040
4.979
1.429
3.550
0.199
0
0.230
0.058
0.009
1.422
0.039
13.547

49.95
0.29
31.54
2.84
bmdl
1.64
0.65
0.09
10.01
0.50
97.53
6.494
0.028
4.833
1.506
3.328
0.309
0
0.318
0.091
0.011
1.661
0.055
13.803

50.05
0.27
33.06
1.90
bmdl
1.31
0.37
0.09
8.80
0.25
96.09
6.510
0.026
5.068
1.490
3.579
0.206
0
0.253
0.052
0.011
1.460
0.027
13.615

48.35
0.29
32.18
2.20
bmdl
1.34
0.40
0.08
9.77
0.23
94.84
6.441
0.029
5.052
1.559
3.493
0.246
0
0.266
0.058
0.010
1.660
0.026
13.787

47.65
0.32
31.96
1.71
bmdl
1.18
0.46
0.12
9.58
0.23
93.22
6.441
0.032
5.092
1.559
3.533
0.193
0
0.239
0.067
0.015
1.653
0.027
13.759

48.06
0.30
33.26
1.65
bmdl
0.96
0.35
0.12
9.68
0.20
94.58
6.395
0.030
5.217
1.605
3.612
0.184
0
0.190
0.050
0.015
1.643
0.023
13.748

48.71
0.27
32.72
1.65
bmdl
0.97
0.30
0.08
9.66
0.24
94.60
6.471
0.027
5.124
1.529
3.595
0.184
0
0.192
0.043
0.010
1.637
0.027
13.715

48.48
0.36
32.02
1.58
bmdl
1.14
0.47
0.12
9.81
0.32
94.30
6.475
0.036
5.040
1.525
3.515
0.176
0
0.228
0.067
0.016
1.671
0.036
13.745

Muscovite

Ms1

Ms1

Ms2

Ms2

Ms2

Ms2

Ms2

Ms2

Ms2

Ms2

Ms3

Ms3

Ms3

Ms3

Stage

II

II

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

SiO2
TiO2
Al2O3
FeO
MnO
MgO
CaO
Na2O
K2O
P2O5
Total
Si
Ti
AlIV
AlVI
Fe
Mn
Mg

49.23
0.33
32.89
1.67
bmdl
1.17
0.45
0.11
9.58
0.34
95.77
6.460
0.032
1.540
3.546
0.183
0
0.228

48.29
0.33
32.18
1.81
bmdl
1.18
0.33
0.09
10.08
0.21
94.51
6.455
0.033
1.545
3.525
0.203
0
0.234

48.78
0.22
32.51
2.47
bmdl
1.37
0.21
0.11
9.48
0.00
95.15
6.469
0.022
1.531
3.551
0.205
0
0.253

48.89
0.27
32.01
1.83
bmdl
1.27
0.10
0.12
9.42
0.03
93.96
6.534
0.028
1.466
3.576
0.224
0
0.232

49.01
0.14
32.72
2.02
0.02
1.18
0.23
0.12
9.37
0.01
94.81
6.495
0.013
1.505
3.606
0.458
0.007
0.299

48.10
0.20
31.80
4.12
0.06
1.51
0.40
0.45
8.98
0.12
95.73
6.397
0.020
1.603
3.383
0.216
0.002
0.276

49.37
0.24
31.84
1.95
bmdl
1.40
0.33
0.53
9.02
0.06
94.74
6.545
0.024
1.455
3.522
0.230
0
0.251

47.59
0.28
32.42
2.04
0.02
1.25
0.40
0.13
9.71
0.15
93.97
6.401
0.028
1.599
3.541
0.201
0.002
0.249

48.06
0.27
32.18
1.78
0.02
1.24
0.41
0.13
9.53
0.06
93.68
6.462
0.027
1.538
3.561
0.246
0.009
0.263

48.59
0.26
32.56
2.21
0.08
1.33
0.50
0.16
9.41
0.00
95.10
6.448
0.026
1.552
3.541
0.005
0.009
0.263

47.73
0.27
31.49
2.22
bmdl
1.23
0.38
0.07
9.66
0.23
93.28
6.468
0.027
1.532
3.498
0.251
0
0.249

48.14
0.33
31.60
1.76
bmdl
1.19
0.37
0.15
9.50
0.26
93.29
6.496
0.033
1.504
3.522
0.198
0
0.239

48.42
0.20
31.82
1.35
bmdl
0.95
0.19
3.87
6.44
0.09
93.33
6.506
0.020
1.494
3.544
0.152
0
0.129

49.88
0.17
30.56
1.63
0.02
1.73
0.03
0.14
9.35
0.03
93.53
6.677
0.017
1.323
3.499
0.182
0.002
0.366

L. Wang, Y. Zhu / Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

259

Table 4 (continued)
Muscovite

Ms1

Ms1

Ms2

Ms2

Ms2

Ms2

Ms2

Ms2

Ms2

Ms2

Ms3

Ms3

Ms3

Ms3

Stage

II

II

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

Ca
Na
K
P
Total

0.064
0.013
1.603
0.038
13.708

0.048
0.011
1.719
0.024
13.798

0.015
0.015
1.605
0.004
13.701

0.033
0.015
1.584
0.002
13.711

0.057
0.058
1.524
0.013
13.819

0.047
0.067
1.527
0.007
13.687

0.057
0.017
1.666
0.017
13.807

0.059
0.017
1.635
0.007
13.757

0.071
0.021
1.594
0
13.771

0
0.041
1.594
0
13.480

0.055
0.019
1.669
0.026
13.795

0.053
0.040
1.635
0.030
13.750

0.028
1.007
1.104
0.010
13.995

0.004
0.035
1.597
0.003
13.705

was relatively reducing. In the EPMA data, ore-related chlorite (Chl1


and Chl2) in the Hatu gold district are enriched in Fe compared to Mg
(Fig. 14d), which is also similar to the chlorite formed under reducing
conditions (Inoue, 1995). The Al/(Al + Fe + Mg) values of Chl1 and
Chl2 are commonly greater than 0.35 (Table 5), suggesting that they
were formed by the interaction between ore-forming uids and black
mudstone-bearing volcanicsedimentary sequences, rather than mac
rocks (Laird, 1988), such as basalt, in the Hatu deposit. The oreforming temperature of disseminated sulde mineral orebodies was
180 C to 280 C in the Hatu deposit and was ~ 300 to 340 C in the
Qi-III deposit (Fig. 16; Kretschmar and Scott, 1976; Sharp et al., 1985)
based on the As atomic percent in arsenopyrite (Table 2). The former
temperature range overlaps the ore-forming temperature of Aubearing quartz veins in the Hatu deposit according to uid inclusion
thermometry (200250 C; Liu, 1990; Fan et al., 1998).
The gangue mineral assemblages of carbonate, chlorite, quartz, and
minor muscovite and the lack of potassium feldspar in ore-forming
process of the Hatu gold district (Fig. 9) suggest that the pH value of
the hydrothermal uids was near neutral to slightly acid (approximately
4.5 to 5.3 under 250 to 300 C and 1 kbar condition calculated from

Johnson et al., 1991) and that gold would be transported mainly as


Au(HS)
2 (Seward, 1973; Stefnsson and Seward, 2004):
AuHS2

AuHS2

H 0:5H2aq Au

0
native gold

0:5 H2 OAu

native gold

2H2 Saq

2HS H 0:25O2 :

Gold precipitation from hydrothermal uids would be induced by


(1) cooling; (2) decreasing fO2; (3) interaction between ore uids and
country rocks; (4) phase separation in response to a pressure decrease; (5) mixing with another uid with different compositions;
and (6) interaction with arsenian pyrite. Cooling may be an ineffective mechanism for gold precipitation at temperatures b350 C
because the solubility of Au(HS)
2 actually increases in response to
decreasing temperature (Mikucki, 1998; Williams-Jones et al., 2009).
Phase separation requires a rapid drop in pressure and commonly
occurs in an open system, such as shallow Au-bearing quartz veins. According to uid inclusion studies, uid immiscibility was only observed
in Au-bearing quartz veins (Fan et al., 1998), instead of in disseminated

Fig. 12. The concentration of As in various generations of pyrite in the Hatu gold district based on EMPA data. a) Arsenic content of framboid is slightly lesser than the overgrown Py1;
b) Disseminated Py2 is enriched in As compared to framboids; c) Euhedral Py2 contains greater As content compared to porous Py1 core; d) Py3 associated with arsenopyrite contains
the greatest As content; e) Py4 in calcitequartzchalcopyriterutile vein contains negligible As; f) Py5 in the Qi-V deposit is commonly lack of As; g) As vs. Ni variation diagram of sedimentary and hydrothermal pyrite; h) As vs. S variation diagram of hydrothermal pyrite. Ank ankerite, Apy arsenopyrite, Cc calcite, Ccp chalcopyrite, Py pyrite, Rt rutile, and
Td tetrahedrite.

260

L. Wang, Y. Zhu / Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

sulde mineral orebodies (Dong, 2012). HO isotopic data of


Au-bearing quartz veins in the Hatu deposit indicate that the 18O
value of ore-forming uid does not shift to meteoric water (Fig. 17a),
which suggests that uid mixing between magmatic water and meteoric water is insufcient. The decrease of D probably results from the
degassing of magmatic water. The important role of arsenian pyrite
during gold mineralization has been proposed by many studies (Reich
et al., 2005; Large et al., 2007; Deditius et al., 2014 and references
therein). Thus, 1) the decreasing of fO2 during ubiquitous interactions
between hydrothermal uids and volcanicsedimentary host rocks
and 2) arsenian pyrite (discussed below) are the key factors for mineralization in the Hatu gold district.
Abundant framboid and graphite in tuffaceous rock, a typical
assemblage of a reducing geochemistry barrier, can be responsible for
decreasing fO2, thereby inducing gold precipitation. Firstly, iron in uids
and/or host rocks react with the reduced sulfur (mostly H2S) to form
hydrothermal Py1, Py2 and Py3 as:

FeCl 2H2 Saq FeS2pyrite 2H Cl H2aq :

visible gold, the main gold species in the Hatu gold district, could also
be a realistic mechanism controlling Hatu gold mineralization. Firstly,
the semiconductivity of pyrite transfers from n-type to p-type with the
excess of sulfur and/or incorporation of As (Favorov et al., 1974;
Pridmore and Shuey, 1976). Visible gold is then preferentially accumulated on individual domains of pyrite surfaces that act as p-type conductors
in an np junction (Mller and Kersten, 1994). Simon et al. (1999) also
emphasized that Au was probably incorporated into arsenian pyrite by
adsorption onto pyrite surfaces during crystal growth. Secondly, the
adsorptionreduction of auriferous hydrothermal uids on pyrite
surfaces could also play an important role in gold precipitation (Jean

Secondly, Eq. (3) consumes H2S and facilitates Eq. (1) to precipitate
gold. If the solubility of Au(HS)
2 is controlled by Eq. (2), the reducing
conditions would consume oxygen and also promote gold mineralization. In addition, the signicant concentration of As in Py2 and Py3 is
also closely related to the reducing condition mentioned above. In
hydrothermal uids with H2S dominant and near neutral to slightly
alkaline pH, arsenic is transported as H 3 AsO 3 (Heinrich and
Eadington, 1986). The precipitation of arsenian pyrite and arsenopyrite can be strongly facilitated by decreasing f(O2) (Fig. 17b; Heinrich
and Eadington, 1986), expressed as
0

4 FeS2 pyrite 4H3 AsO3 4 FeAsSarsenian pyrite 4H2 S 2H2 O 5O2 :

4
The concentration of hydrogen sulde produced by Eq. (4) may be
insufcient to re-dissolve the gold. Thus, the redox change in the oreforming uid occurs simultaneously with the precipitation of arsenian
pyrite, arsenopyrite and native gold.
The presence of arsenian pyrite is another critical inducement of
gold precipitation. The close paragenesis relationship between arsenian
pyrite (Py2 and Py3) and native gold (Figs. 5cf; 6cf), together with the
signicant amounts of Au, As in the Py2 and Py3 (Fig. 13a), both suggest
that gold precipitation is undoubtedly related to the crystallization of
arsenian pyrite. The close relationship between gold and arsenicbearing sulde minerals, such as arsenian pyrite and arsenopyrite, widely
occurs in many types of gold deposits, including Carlin-type deposits
(e.g., Simon et al., 1999), mesothermal lode-gold ores (e.g., Morey et al.,
2008), VMS deposits (McClenaghan et al., 2009) and magmatichydrothermal AuCu deposits (Deditius et al., 2009). Fleet and Mumin (1997)
proposed the incorporation mechanism for Au via chemisorption onto
As-rich, Fe-decient (b45 wt.%) pyrite surfaces and formation of a metastable solid-solution in Carlin-type deposits. The substitution of As1 for
S1 in arsenian pyrite facilitates the incorporation of other trace
elements, especially invisible Au, due to large amounts of defects in the
pyrite structure caused by As substitution (Cook and Chryssoulis, 1990;
Fleet and Mumin, 1997; Deditius et al., 2008), and the maximum amount
of Au that can be incorporated into pyrite is mainly a function of As
concentration (Reich et al., 2005). According to the AuAs plot diagram
based on EPMA and ICP-MS analyses (Fig. 18; following work by Reich
et al., 2005), multi-stage hydrothermal pyrites from the Hatu gold district
indeed contain signicant invisible gold as nanoparticles and solid solution. Note that the invisible gold mainly transformed from a solid solution
in Py1, Py2 and Py3 to gold nanoparticles in Py4 and Py5, which implies
that conditions of gold mineralization changed from undersaturated to
saturated. In addition, the role of arsenian pyrite surfaces as a trap for

Fig. 13. Trace element concentrations of pyrite in the Hatu gold district based on the ICPMS analysis. a) Plot of Au vs. As for pyrite; b) Cu vs. Sb variation diagram of pyrite; c) Cu vs.
Zn variation diagram of pyrite.

L. Wang, Y. Zhu / Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

and Bancroft, 1985; Hyland and Bancroft, 1989). Therefore, the arsenian
pyrite could have effectively facilitated gold mineralization in the Hatu
gold district.
6.2.3. Post-ore process (Stage-V to Stage-VII)
The post-ore process mainly consists of coarse-grained quartz and
carbonate with minor amounts of apatite (Ap3), chlorite, and sulde
minerals (chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite, Py4 and Py5). According to EPMA
and ICP-MS data, negligible contents of Au, As and Sb within Py4 and
Py5 (Figs. 12eh, 13ab), together with the absence of arsenopyrite,
indicate that the post-ore uids are strongly decient in the aforementioned metals. The greater concentration of Cu and Zn in Py5 (Fig. 13c) is
consistent with the paragenesis of chalcopyrite and sphalerite as the last
sulde minerals coexisting with Py5 (Fig. 11).
6.3. Migration of trace elements
Compared to the unaltered tuff, disseminated sulde mineral
orebodies are generally enriched in Cs, Rb, Sr, La, Ce, Au, As, Sb, Cu, Pb,
V, P, U, and Th based on the ICP-MS analysis (Fig. 15a). This indicates
that these elements were transported by the hydrothermal uids and incorporated into volcanicsedimentary rocks during hydrothermal alteration and mineralization. Cesium and rubidium can substitute for K in
hydrothermal muscovites, leading to enrichments of Cs and Rb in altered
and mineralized samples (Fig. 15b). Strontium prefers to substitute Ca
in apatite, ankerite, and calcite. Light REE are mainly concentrated in

261

monazites coexisting with sulde minerals. Vanadium probably exists


in layer silicate minerals, such as muscovite, by substituting for Al. Apatite
is the major source of P. For example, the Hatu deposit contains approximately 2% Ap1, 1% Ap2, and 0.5% Ap3. Based on the average concentrations of P2O5 in apatite (4248 ppm, 4187 ppm, and 4188 ppm,
respectively), we can estimate the total P content of the ore-body sample
to be approximately 645 ppm, which is consistent with the analyzed
790 ppm by ICP-MS (Table 6).
The suite of AuAsSbCuPb that is extremely concentrated in
mineralized samples (Fig. 15a, cd) corresponds to the ore-related assemblages of native gold, As-rich pyrite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite,
tetrahedrite and galena. Based on ICP-MS analysis, the content of Au is
positively correlated with Sb and As in mineralized tuff (Fig. 15cd),
consistent with the association of native gold, arsenian pyrite, arsenopyrite, and tetrahedrite in orebodies. Gold and arsenic contents of weak
altered tuff are lower than unaltered samples (Fig. 15d), which indicates
that Au and As were mobilized and transported from volcanicsedimentary rocks by hydrothermal uids. Thus, the tuff is a potential
metal source for mineralization in the Hatu gold district. Although the
carbonaceous sedimentary rocks are generally thought to be an important gold source for orogenic and Carlin-type gold deposits (Large et al.,
2011), the carbonaceous mudstones in the Hatu district are probably
not a primary Au supplier, as the Au content of the unaltered carbonaceous mudstones of the Hatu gold deposit varies from 1.73 to
3.55 ppb (Zhu et al., 2013b), which is substantially lesser than the
average Au concentration of carbonaceous shales in favor of gold

Fig. 14. Plots showing compositional variation of multi-stage muscovite (ac) and chlorite (d) in the Hatu gold district based on EMPA data. a) Si vs. Al variation diagram of hydrothermal
muscovite; b) MgO vs. FeO variation diagram of hydrothermal muscovite; c) AlM2+Si ternary diagram of muscovite, modied after Monier and Robert (1986). M2+ stands for the sum of
Fe, Mg, and Mn; d) Composition of chlorite (after Deer et al., 1962). apfu atomic per formula unit. Ms muscovite, Chl chlorite.

262

L. Wang, Y. Zhu / Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

Table 5
Representative compositions of chlorite in the Hatu gold district by EPMA (in wt.%, O = 28).
Chlorite

Chl1

Chl1

Chl1

Chl1

Chl1

Chl1

Chl1

Chl1

Chl1

Chl2

Chl2

Chl2

Chl2

Chl2

Chl3

Chl3

Chl3

Deposit

Hatu

Hatu

Hatu

Hatu

Hatu

Hatu

Hatu

Hatu

Hatu

Hatu

Hatu

Hatu

Hatu

Hatu

Qi-III

Qi-III

Qi-III

Chl3
Qi-III

Stage

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

VI

VI

VI

VI

SiO2
TiO2
Al2O3
FeO
MnO
MgO
CaO
BaO
Na2O
K2O
P2O5
Total
Si
Ti
AlIV
AlVI
Fe
Mn
Mg
Ca
Ba
Na
K
P

25.84
0.07
17.58
36.61
0.05
6.48
0.33
bmdl
0.02
0.02
0.21
87.22
5.832
0.012
2.168
2.511
6.912
0.010
2.180
0.081
0
0.011
0.007
0.040

25.71
0.09
17.91
35.65
0.09
6.68
0.26
bmdl
0.07
0.06
0.11
86.62
5.821
0.016
2.179
2.600
6.751
0.017
2.253
0.064
0
0.031
0.016
0.020

25.82
0.08
18.00
35.90
0.06
6.78
0.28
bmdl
0.11
0.05
bmdl
87.07
5.820
0.013
2.180
2.602
6.768
0.011
2.279
0.068
0
0.046
0.015
0

26.61
0.09
17.86
35.66
0.09
6.49
0.41
bmdl
0.06
0.09
0.23
87.59
5.934
0.016
2.066
2.629
6.652
0.016
2.157
0.098
0
0.028
0.026
0.043

24.44
0.04
20.31
34.50
0.08
7.45
0.07
0.05
bmdl
0.05
bmdl
87.00
5.473
0.007
2.527
2.834
6.463
0.015
2.488
0.017
0.005
0
0.014
0

24.56
bmdl
20.55
34.19
0.12
7.25
0.05
0.13
bmdl
0.06
0.05
86.95
5.493
0
2.507
2.910
6.395
0.022
2.416
0.011
0.011
0
0.016
0.010

25.11
0.04
20.50
34.71
0.15
6.88
0.20
bmdl
0.05
0.04
0.07
87.75
5.563
0.007
2.437
2.917
6.433
0.029
2.273
0.046
0
0.019
0.012
0.014

24.21
0.07
20.97
32.92
0.08
7.48
0.24
0.04
bmdl
0.17
bmdl
86.21
5.433
0.011
2.567
2.978
6.176
0.016
2.501
0.058
0.003
0
0.048
0

24.03
0.02
20.40
34.74
0.13
6.87
0.07
0.12
0.09
0.12
0.16
86.74
5.418
0.003
2.582
2.840
6.551
0.026
2.309
0.018
0.011
0.038
0.035
0.030

24.56
bmdl
19.72
35.09
0.02
6.96
0.06
bmdl
0.21
0.08
bmdl
86.71
5.543
0
2.457
2.787
6.622
0.004
2.341
0.014
0
0.091
0.024
0

25.23
0.08
19.70
35.52
0.06
6.87
0.02
bmdl
bmdl
0.07
0.10
87.66
5.621
0.014
2.379
2.794
6.617
0.011
2.282
0.004
0
0
0.021
0.018

26.62
bmdl
18.93
34.72
0.03
7.04
bmdl
bmdl
0.06
0.04
0.06
87.52
5.892
0
2.108
2.831
6.426
0.006
2.324
0.002
0
0.027
0.012
0.012

24.77
bmdl
19.48
34.84
0.02
7.46
0.05
bmdl
0.16
0.02
0.04
86.85
5.568
0
2.432
2.728
6.549
0.004
2.500
0.012
0
0.071
0.006
0.008

24.16
bmdl
19.04
34.94
0.05
7.24
0.08
bmdl
0.18
0.09
bmdl
85.76
5.528
0
2.472
2.664
6.687
0.009
2.469
0.021
0
0.079
0.025
0

26.21
0.07
22.87
35.54
bmdl
5.02
0.07
bmdl
0.13
0.02
bmdl
89.96
5.629
0.011
2.371
3.417
6.382
0
1.606
0.015
0
0.055
0.005
0

25.36
0.11
21.40
34.98
bmdl
5.39
0.30
bmdl
0.31
0.10
bmdl
87.98
5.601
0.018
2.399
3.174
6.462
0
1.775
0.071
0
0.133
0.029
0

25.80
0.09
21.35
34.73
0.03
5.68
0.27
0.04
0.15
0.19
0.17
88.50
5.646
0.015
2.354
3.153
6.354
0.005
1.854
0.064
0.003
0.063
0.052
0.031

24.61
0.07
20.80
35.01
bmdl
5.67
0.23
bmdl
0.11
0.06
bmdl
86.59
5.547
0.012
2.453
3.071
6.598
0.002
1.906
0.057
0
0.049
0.018
0

mdl = minimum detection limit.

Fig. 15. Trace element contents of unaltered, altered, and mineralized tuff in the Hatu gold district based on ICP-MS analysis. a) Logarithmic isocon diagram of trace elements in weak altered and mineralized tuff (modied from Grant, 1986); b) Ti + Mn + Ba vs. Cs + Rb variation diagram of host rocks with the distinct alteration and mineralization intensity; c) Au vs. Sb
variation diagram of host rocks with the distinct alteration and mineralization intensity; d) Au vs. As variation diagrams of host rocks with the distinct alteration and mineralization
intensity.

L. Wang, Y. Zhu / Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

Fig. 16. Formation temperature of arsenopyrite in the Hatu and Qi-III gold deposit based
on the As atomic percent of arsenopyrite by EPMA (modied by Kretschmar and Scott,
1976; Sharp et al., 1985).

mineralization (mean Au = 28 ppb, mostly N10 ppb; Large et al., 2011).


The concentration of Au + As + Sb + Tl of the Qi-III deposit is commonly greater than the Qi-V deposit (Fig. 15cd), together with the deciency of arsenopyrite and As-rich pyrite in the latter, suggesting that the
mineralization declined in a northeastwardly direction.
6.4. Genetic model
The disseminated sulde mineral orebodies and Au-bearing quartz
veins are the main ore types of the Hatu gold district. Two types of
orebodies have close relationships in terms of the structure, mineralogy,
and geochemistry. The disseminated sulde mineral orebodies are generally abundant in the deep region below the 1054 elevation, but there
are still minor disseminated sulde minerals ores that developed closely
adjacent to the Au-bearing quartz veins near the surface without a distinct boundary, which reveals the gradual transition from quartz veins
to disseminated sulde. Meanwhile, the alteration around Au-bearing

263

Fig. 18. AuAs plot of EMPA and ICP-MS analyses from hydrothermal pyrite in the Hatu
gold district (after Reich et al., 2005), indicating that signicant invisible gold concentrates
in multi-stage pyrite mostly as nanoparticles and minor as solid solution.

quartz veins is mainly composed of sericite, carbonate and sulde


alteration silicication (Li and Liu, 1988), quite similar to that of the
disseminated sulde mineral orebodies. The Au-bearing quartz veins
and altered wall-rocks share common ore-related mineral assemblages,
consisting of pyrite, arsenopyrite, native gold (Figs. 57), quartz, muscovite, carbonate, and native gold (Figs. 810). Gold occurring in quartz
veins and disseminated sulde mineral orebodies are closely related
to pyrite and/or arsenopyrite, and formed in rounded, granulous or
irregular shapes (Qiu et al., 2011). The alteration haloes around
Au-bearing quartz veins are generally concentrated in Au, As, Ag, and
Sb, which are consistent with the metal elements rich in disseminated
sulde mineral orebodies revealed by the logarithmic isocon diagram
(Grant, 1986; Fig. 15a). The 34S values of the hydrothermal sulde
minerals in both types of orebodies are indistinguishable and
restricted within a narrow range from 0.52 to + 1.6 (Table 7;
Hu, 1989; Wang and Zhu, 2006), which identify a likely magmatic S
source.

Fig. 17. Diagrams showing uid geochemistry of the Hatu gold district. a) 18O-D diagram of ore-forming uids of the Hatu deposit. The regions of subduction-related volcanic, crustal
felsic magmas and degassed melt are based on Hedenquist and Lowenstern (1994). The GBQV and DSMO stand for gold bearing quartz veins and disseminated sulde minerals orebodies
respectively; b) pH vs. log fO2 diagrams (modied from Heinrich and Eadington, 1986) showing calculated predominance elds for arsenic species in equilibrium with a sulfur-bearing
aqueous uid. The gray eld stands for the condition of ore-forming process in the Hatu gold district.

264

L. Wang, Y. Zhu / Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

Table 6
Trace element compositions of host rocks and orebodies with the various alteration types in the Hatu gold district by ICP-MS (in ppm, Au for ppb).
Rock type

Unaltered host rocks

Weak altered host rocks

Strong altered host rocks

Location

Unaltered zone

Weak altered zone

Hatu

Sample

W12-1a

W12-1b

W12-34

W12-36

W12-2

W12-12

W12-13

W12-35

W12-37

W12-42

W12-43

KY001

QII-6

QII-5

KY005

zk571-1

Cs
Rb
Ba
Sr
La
Ce
Pr
Nd
Sm
Zr
Hf
Eu
Gd
Tb
Dy
Ho
Er
Tm
Yb
Lu
Y
Nb
Ta
Th
U
Ti
V
Cr
P
Au
As
Ag
Cu
Zn
Sb
Tl
Mn
Co
Ni
Mo

1.21
18.84
348
255
9.64
22.14
3.06
14.68
3.40
99.47
2.83
1.31
3.76
0.61
3.54
0.76
2.10
0.34
2.09
0.33
19.12
3.64
0.21
1.37
0.55
6658
175
631
847
5.47
15.79
0.21
24.81
34.92
0.69
0.06
1094
17.5
321
45.24

1.27
19.80
369
271
10.15
23.31
3.25
15.32
3.61
101
2.90
1.37
3.90
0.63
3.67
0.79
2.20
0.34
2.15
0.34
19.69
3.50
0.31
1.35
0.51
6906
182
264
865
bmdl
14.46
0.20
22.86
54.49
0.48
0.04
1075
14.1
45.1
n. a.

0.67
33.90
2260
264
16.75
39.76
4.75
20.14
4.27
157
4.65
1.85
4.41
0.72
4.20
0.92
2.65
0.45
2.89
0.47
23.61
8.57
0.64
7.70
1.73
3623
78.8
805
458
37.88
3.80
0.34
27.39
41.05
0.36
0.15
4049
9.0
293
21.01

0.30
3.63
35.97
149
16.81
41.79
5.18
24.21
5.97
195
5.86
1.29
7.01
1.25
7.81
1.77
5.18
0.86
5.50
0.89
45.66
5.55
0.37
3.24
1.27
2665
56.5
699
381
35.45
4.76
0.42
12.74
43.88
0.35
bmdl
631
2.7
128
n. a.

0.90
16.92
301
304
11.88
27.52
3.83
18.63
4.64
134
3.91
1.56
5.39
0.92
5.58
1.23
3.49
0.58
3.61
0.58
31.07
4.41
0.29
2.42
0.86
6284
129
n. a.
983
4.00
8.32
0.29
17.21
45.11
1.61
0.05
1142
7.5
n. a.
n. a.

1.26
46.47
677
600
17.38
37.66
4.83
21.55
4.28
122
3.59
1.38
4.04
0.58
3.16
0.66
1.81
0.29
1.89
0.30
16.56
4.09
0.25
4.58
1.38
5214
190
89.7
1370
bmdl
6.16
0.30
88.85
30.55
1.41
0.13
779
14.7
n. a.
n. a.

1.60
34.45
1342
600
14.22
31.77
4.10
18.85
3.98
89.37
2.68
1.53
3.95
0.59
3.31
0.70
1.93
0.31
1.94
0.31
17.57
3.67
0.22
2.63
0.85
5241
177
149
1581
n. a.
4.34
0.18
53.78
9.13
0.83
0.10
1050
12.0
31
n. a.

1.92
50.62
599
271
13.72
33.57
4.70
21.96
5.38
194
5.54
1.83
6.00
1.05
6.42
1.43
4.14
0.69
4.45
0.72
35.17
5.52
0.37
2.68
1.05
5871
120
n. a.
727
18.47
7.08
0.38
14.60
36.01
1.16
0.15
1257
7.8
n. a.
n. a.

0.94
16.25
246
275
12.08
28.45
3.93
18.53
4.48
129
3.69
1.71
5.04
0.85
5.11
1.12
3.17
0.51
3.23
0.52
28.20
3.64
0.24
1.89
0.82
6340
160
398
832
bmdl
6.38
0.25
14.74
52.78
1.05
0.05
1260
10.6
n. a.
n. a.

1.29
40.18
494
502
15.24
33.37
4.26
18.66
3.85
113
3.39
1.14
3.69
0.54
3.03
0.64
1.78
0.29
1.79
0.29
16.25
4.02
0.28
5.09
1.48
4558
176
n. a.
981
17.52
5.40
0.25
49.13
10.07
0.52
0.11
931
13.5
n. a.
n. a.

2.04
66.92
988
544
16.91
35.77
4.64
20.52
4.16
121
3.63
1.23
3.98
0.59
3.25
0.68
1.89
0.31
1.93
0.31
16.93
6.19
0.27
4.88
1.34
5178
210
2671
1092
7.32
13.46
0.27
125
46.68
0.64
0.21
1321
45.3
1928
301

5.23
65.61
553
623
21.50
39.60
4.94
20.45
3.80
142
4.00
1.34
3.68
0.56
3.10
0.65
1.86
0.30
1.99
0.31
18.24
5.42
0.41
4.96
1.74
4218
96.2
196
1071
n. a.
n. a.
n. a.
26.71
64.16
11.25
0.19
1325
9.6
74.9
5.44

3.10
58.00
537
573
16.73
34.75
4.41
18.27
3.56
123
3.47
1.20
3.46
0.54
3.01
0.63
1.78
0.29
1.85
0.29
17.31
4.41
0.65
3.87
1.21
3473
81.8
321
1031
n. a.
n. a.
n. a.
26.15
46.00
11.59
0.14
1140
7.3
115
2.24

3.53
74.88
573
709
15.65
31.42
4.05
16.86
3.17
132
3.66
1.00
3.02
0.44
2.44
0.52
1.52
0.25
1.65
0.27
14.11
4.41
0.42
3.88
1.20
4532
104
61.0
1015
n. a.
n. a.
n. a.
23.77
56.23
17.62
0.17
1619
10.7
19.7
1.36

2.41
67.27
643
332
17.90
36.93
4.60
18.55
3.62
126
3.59
1.12
3.43
0.51
2.83
0.59
1.68
0.27
1.72
0.27
15.81
4.70
0.35
4.36
1.27
4125
112
160
934
n. a.
n. a.
n. a.
71.14
53.64
13.85
0.15
799
8.7
58.3
8.10

3.99
60.73
540
241
18.66
43.00
5.42
22.40
4.94
206
5.47
1.26
5.20
0.93
5.64
1.24
3.61
0.60
3.86
0.62
31.82
6.66
0.52
4.71
1.21
3549
75.8
411
622
n. a.
n. a.
n. a.
65.74
81.56
3.98
0.14
1042
6.0
145
3.04

Rock type
location
sample
Cs
Rb
Ba
Sr
La
Ce
Pr
Nd
Sm
Zr
Hf
Eu
Gd
Tb
Dy
Ho
Er
Tm
Yb
Lu
Y
Nb
Ta
Th
U
Ti
V

Strong altered host rocks

Orebodies

Qi-III

Qi-V

Hatu

Qi-III

Qi-V

WQIII7a WQIII7b WQIII14 WQIII8 WQIII10 W12-9

W12-9 W12-10 W12-11 QII-2

HT-24 W12-38 W12-39a W12-39b W12-16 W12-18

3.46
72.25
930
357
27.01
49.69
5.55
20.35
3.37
184
5.14
0.81
3.16
0.47
2.62
0.57
1.72
0.31
2.21
0.37
16.19
8.31
0.77
6.35
1.83
2115
42.9

6.47
105
463
128
18.72
43.60
5.22
21.36
4.70
162
4.77
1.09
4.92
0.80
4.71
1.03
2.97
0.48
3.07
0.50
25.75
7.31
0.46
6.66
2.00
4173
112

2.78
56.41
615
912
13.30
24.32
2.81
10.56
1.75
97.73
2.70
0.67
1.67
0.25
1.39
0.31
0.94
0.17
1.18
0.20
9.11
3.88
0.35
3.10
0.94
894
19.4

3.71
77.79
1000
387
29.04
53.47
5.96
21.79
3.66
201
5.65
0.87
3.38
0.50
2.83
0.61
1.87
0.33
2.38
0.40
17.47
8.93
0.82
6.72
1.97
2302
46.9

1.85
36.05
693
439
15.42
34.56
3.39
12.78
2.27
143
3.90
0.59
2.23
0.34
1.95
0.43
1.32
0.23
1.61
0.27
12.34
5.88
0.47
4.13
1.40
1647
34.1

3.26
60.44
781
476
23.69
44.37
4.94
17.85
3.01
162
4.51
0.78
2.84
0.43
2.40
0.52
1.57
0.28
1.94
0.32
14.85
6.94
0.56
5.47
1.53
1511
25.9

4.54
90.93
673
308
21.72
40.31
4.90
20.32
3.63
167
4.46
1.19
3.50
0.53
2.93
0.63
1.83
0.31
2.05
0.33
17.33
6.10
0.58
5.35
1.60
4970
94.8

6.26
99.90
443
121
18.11
42.22
5.01
20.78
4.56
157
4.55
1.04
4.79
0.78
4.63
1.02
2.90
0.47
3.06
0.50
25.42
7.19
0.47
6.67
1.96
4027
108

5.03
87.30
399
101
16.58
38.71
4.59
19.31
4.09
116
3.34
0.93
4.25
0.69
3.99
0.87
2.47
0.40
2.53
0.40
21.34
7.53
0.37
5.47
1.60
3187
96.9

6.45
94.20
535
89.91
17.53
39.01
4.43
18.74
3.98
135
4.00
1.18
4.23
0.69
4.07
0.89
2.52
0.42
2.66
0.43
22.37
8.28
0.45
5.36
1.21
3984
112

5.48
118
866
232
21.62
43.00
5.45
21.11
3.86
248
7.11
1.12
3.60
0.56
3.32
0.76
2.34
0.40
2.70
0.44
20.19
9.39
0.74
8.19
2.31
6675
144

4.37
77.88
641
317
14.07
32.19
4.12
17.44
3.58
151
4.37
1.08
3.50
0.53
2.98
0.63
1.78
0.28
1.81
0.29
16.41
6.24
0.35
4.82
1.45
4108
116

6.12
107
886
203
22.50
47.15
5.79
23.84
4.52
163
4.82
1.15
4.16
0.60
3.20
0.68
1.92
0.31
2.05
0.33
16.83
6.74
0.38
6.05
1.78
4927
133

6.39
111
929
213
23.11
49.70
5.89
24.01
4.54
175
5.12
1.15
4.13
0.59
3.16
0.67
1.90
0.31
2.03
0.33
16.71
7.54
0.61
5.80
1.85
5125
137

3.52
66.02
513
278
16.18
35.92
4.41
18.42
3.57
174
4.87
0.89
3.45
0.53
3.13
0.71
2.17
0.37
2.43
0.40
18.08
6.64
0.39
5.44
1.72
3259
69.0

3.92
71.09
530
622
16.55
36.28
4.66
20.60
4.12
105
3.01
1.31
3.93
0.55
2.92
0.61
1.68
0.27
1.71
0.28
14.77
4.27
0.23
3.18
0.87
4923
146

L. Wang, Y. Zhu / Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

265

Table 6 (continued)
Rock type
location
sample
Cr
P
Au
As
Ag
Cu
Zn
Sb
Mn
Co
Ni
Mo

Strong altered host rocks

Orebodies

Qi-III

Qi-V

Hatu

Qi-III

Qi-V

WQIII7a WQIII7b WQIII14 WQIII8 WQIII10 W12-9

W12-9 W12-10 W12-11 QII-2

HT-24 W12-38 W12-39a W12-39b W12-16 W12-18

233
209
n. a.
n. a.
n. a.
24.93
38.73
3.06
538
3.3
95.7
1.52

44.9
654
8.49
5.08
0.32
70.47
49.72
0.61
935
6.3
n. a.
n. a.

33.2
342
n. a.
n. a.
n. a.
3.34
19.9
8.13
4800
1.5
17.9
4.71

199
224
n. a.
n. a.
n. a.
28.87
44.21
3.29
576
3.7
65.9
1.34

561
332
n. a.
n. a.
n. a.
13.22
34.10
2.22
693
2.6
230
2.61

332
177
n. a.
n. a.
n. a.
4.54
38.20
2.25
663
1.9
117
1.73

176
854
n. a.
n. a.
n. a.
11.01
49.88
14.38
988
11.8
69.5
1.75

529
630
12.11
8.50
0.33
74.82
47.25
0.49
947
11.3
286
45.24

2601
517
7.17
8.77
0.24
119
79.55
0.54
936
35.7
2165
376

2131
581
9.46
11.51
0.29
94.69
28.48
0.67
1022
25.3
1203
210

165
511
n. a.
n. a.
n. a.
20.7
54.1
48.4
650
9.1
58.8
5.04

389
502
125
29.87
0.53
36.52
42.54
17.23
637
12.0
203
39.76

334
576
875
210
0.55
31.19
31.54
13.82
437
13.8
153
27.79

56.7
613
2330
120
0.57
18.42
19.00
13.08
430
12.2
n. a.
n. a.

562
669
76.93
79.65
0.44
32.37
47.30
2.17
499
8.6
301
46.26

108
1328
7.19
15.03
0.24
25.78
23.76
2.89
1159
8.7
0.3
0.48

n.a. = not analyzed, mdl = minimum detection limit.

We suggest that the Au-bearing quartz veins and disseminated sulde


mineral orebodies should both be derived from a similar hydrothermal
uid (Fig. 19). Gold-bearing hydrothermal uids were rst migrated
along the Anqi fault zone and interacted with the Lower Carboniferous
volcanicsedimentary sequence in the HatuBaobei basin. The quartz
albite and quartzmuscovite apatite veins without signicant sulde
minerals represent the hydrothermal event prior to gold precipitation (Fig. 19a). In one case, carbonaceous matter, framboids and
graphite in tuffaceous rocks formed a reducing geochemistry barrier,
which facilitated the precipitation of disseminated pyrite (Py1Py3)
and the incorporation of As into the pyrite lattice. Subsequently, the
depletion of reduced S consumed by sulde minerals (reaction 4 and
5) and adsorptionreduction on the surface of arsenian pyrite
induced extensive gold precipitation (Fig. 19b). In other cases,
Au-bearing uids ascended directly to the higher level of the crust
without signicant interaction with host rocks and precipitated
within fractures as quartz veins containing pyrite, arsenopyrite,
and native gold. Minor disseminated sulde mineral orebodies also

Table 7
Summary of S isotope data of hydrothermal suldes formed in the Hatu gold deposit by
mass spectrometer analysis.
34S
()

References

Orebody types

Minerals

Au-bearing quartz vein


Au-bearing quartz vein
Au-bearing quartz vein
Au-bearing quartz vein
Au-bearing quartz vein
Au-bearing quartz vein
Au-bearing quartz vein
Au-bearing quartz vein
Au-bearing quartz vein
Au-bearing quartz vein
Au-bearing quartz vein
Au-bearing quartz vein
Au-bearing quartz vein
Au-bearing quartz vein
Disseminated sulde mineral orebodies
Disseminated sulde mineral orebodies
Au-bearing quartz vein + disseminated
sulde mineral orebodies
Au-bearing quartz vein + disseminated
sulde mineral orebodies

Pyrite
0.8 Hu (1989)
Pyrite
0.9
Pyrite
1.1
Pyrite
1.2
Pyrite
1.4
Pyrite
0.4
Pyrite
1.1
Pyrite
1.1
Pyrite
1.1
Pyrite
1.2
Pyrite
1.2
Pyrite
1.6
Pyrite
0.5 Wang and Zhu
Arsenopyrite 0.4 (2006)
Pyrite
0.9
Pyrite
0.7
Pyrite
0.1
Arsenopyrite

0.1

developed adjacent to Au-bearing quartz veins along with the permeation of hydrothermal uid in the host rocks. During the post-ore
stage in the distal zone of the Hatu gold district, the AsAu-decient
pyrite (Py4 and Py5) formed with abundant quartz and carbonate
(Fig. 19c).
7. Conclusions
Pyrite in the Hatu gold district can be separated into framboidal
pyrite of sedimentary origin, arsenian pyrite (Py1, Py2, and Py3) with
gold mineralization, and post-ore As-decient pyrite (Py4, Py5). As
the As content increases from Py1 and Py2 to Py3, it shows a negative
correlation with the S content, implying substitution of sulfur by arsenic. Gold existed as invisible gold concentrated in the arsenian pyrite
(Py2 and Py3) and visible gold inclusions within Py2 and Py3. Gold
was precipitated under relatively reducing conditions in the framboidand graphite-bearing tuffaceous rocks. Fluid alteration and decreasing
fO2 are main factors in controlling the precipitation of disseminated
arsenian pyrite (Py1, Py2, and Py3) and gold. Calculations based on
the compositions of arsenopyrite show that the temperature of the
ore-forming process varies from 180 to 280 C in the Hatu gold deposit
and 300 to 340 C in the Qi-III gold deposit. Together with previous
studies, we suggest that Au-bearing quartz veins and disseminated
sulde mineral orebodies are formed by a co-genetic hydrothermal
uid. In one case, Au-bearing uids ascended to the high level of the
crust and precipitated within fractures as quartz veins containing pyrite,
arsenopyrite, and native gold. In other case, the similar Au-bearing uids
migrated along the Anqi fault zone, interacted with the carbonaceous
matter and framboids-bearing rocks, and precipitated disseminated
sulde mineral orebodies consisting of arsenian pyrite, arsenopyrite,
invisible gold, and native gold.
Acknowledgments
This research is nancially supported by the National Natural
Science Foundation of China (41372062, 41203032) and the International Science &Technology Cooperation Program of China (Grant
No. 2010DFB23390). We are grateful to Professor Large, Dr. Deditius,
and Dr. Mauk for their kindly review and suggestions, and Dr. Rui
Wang (University of Alberta, Canada) and Dr. Fang An (Northwest
University, Xi'an) for their constructive suggestions. Our gratitude
is also extended to Dr. Tomkins for correcting grammatical and syntax errors. Guiming Shu and Qian Mao helped with EPMA. Libing Gu
and Fang Ma helped with ICP-MS analysis.

266

L. Wang, Y. Zhu / Ore Geology Reviews 69 (2015) 243267

References

Fig. 19. The genetic model showing gold mineralization in the Hatu district. a) The quartz
albite and quartzmuscovite apatite veins without signicant sulde minerals formed
during pre-ore progress; 2) Carbonaceous matter, framboids and graphite in tuffaceous
rocks formed a reducing geochemistry barrier, which facilitated gold precipitation in the
disseminated arsenian pyrite (Py1Py3). Some of Au-bearing uids ascended directly to
the higher level of crust without signicant interaction with host rocks, and precipitated
within fractures as quartz veins containing pyrite, arsenopyrite, and native gold; 3) The
AsAu-decient pyrite (Py4 and Py5) formed with abundant quartz and carbonate during
post-ore process in the distal zone of Hatu gold district.

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