U-pb ages, o isotope compositions, raman spectrum, and geochemistry of cassiterites from the xi’ao copper-tin polymetallic deposit in gejiu district, yunnan province

Abstract

The Xi’ao Cu-Sn polymetallic deposit is located in the inner alteration zone of the Laoka granite. The ore bodies extend to 400 m in the granite rock and primarily occur with fluorite and potassic alterations. Two cassiterite samples of altered rock-type ore and one tourmaline vein-type ore in the Xi’ao Cu-Sn polymetallic deposit yielded U-Pb ages of 83.3 ± 2.1 Ma, 84.9 ± 1.7 Ma, and 84.0 ± 5.6 Ma, respectively. The Raman spectrum peak values of A 1g were shifted to a lower frequency, possibly due to the substitution of Sn with Nb, Ta, Fe, and Mn. Measured δ 18 O values of cassiterite samples and calculated δ 18 O H2O values for the ore-forming fluid indicate that the latter was mostly derived from magma. The high Fe and Mn abundances for cassiterite are consistent with those of hydrothermal origin. The Nb, Ta, and Ti contents indicate that cassiterites in the Xi’ao deposit likely formed in a metallogenic environment that was largely affected by granitic magmatism. Therefore, we conclude that the Xi’ao deposit is a magmatic hydrothermal deposit.