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Oxidation state inherited from the magma source and implications for mineralization: Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous granitoids, Central Lhasa subterrane, Tibet

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Abstract

Arc magmas are more oxidized than mid-ocean ridge basalts; however, there is continuing debate as to whether this higher oxidation state is inherited from the source magma or developed during late-stage magmatic differentiation processes. Well-constrained Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous arc-related intermediate to felsic rocks derived from distinct magma sources provide us with a good opportunity to resolve this enigma. A series of granitoids from the western Central Lhasa subterrane were analyzed for whole-rock magnetic susceptibility, Fe2O3/FeO ratios, and trace elements in zircon. Compared to Late Jurassic samples (1.8 ± 2.0 × 10−4 emu g−1 oe−1, Fe3+/Fetotal = 0.32 ± 0.07, zircon Ce4+/Ce3+* = 15.0 ± 13.4), Early Cretaceous rocks show higher whole-rock magnetic susceptibility (5.8 ± 2.5 × 10−4 emu g−1 oe−1), Fe3+/Fetotal ratios (0.43 ± 0.04), and zircon Ce4+/Ce3+* values (23.9 ± 22.3). In addition, positive correlations among whole-rock magnetic susceptibility, Fe3+/Fetotal ratios, and zircon Ce4+/Ce3+* reveal a slight increase in oxidation state from fO2 = QFM to NNO in the Late Jurassic to fO2 = ∼NNO in the Early Cretaceous. Obvious linear correlation between oxidation indices (whole-rock magnetic susceptibility, zircon Ce4+/Ce3+*) and source signatures (zircon εHf(t), TDM C ages) indicates that the oxidation state was predominantly inherited from the source with only a minor contribution from magmatic differentiation. Thus, the sources for both the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous rocks were probably influenced by mantle wedge-derived magma, contributing to the increased fO2. Compared to ore-forming rocks at giant porphyry Cu deposits, the relatively low oxidation state (QFM to NNO) and negative εHf(t) (−16 to 0) of the studied granitoids implies relative infertility. However, this study demonstrates two potential fast and effective indices (fO2 and εHf(t)) to evaluate the fertility of granitoids for porphyry-style mineralization. In an exploration context for the west Central Lhasa subterrane, features indicative of potential fertility might include more oxidized, positive εHf(t), young rocks (<130 Ma).

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Acknowledgments

The authors are greatly indebted to Jingpeng Sun for assistance with the measurement of whole-rock magnetic susceptibility, Hongyue Wang for assistance with the whole-rock Fe2O3/FeO analysis, and Yueheng Yang for assistance with the LA-ICPMS zircon trace element analysis. We express our gratitude to two anonymous reviewers and the editor Dr. Bernd Lehmann for their constructive comments and excellent suggestions that helped to improve the manuscript. This research was financially supported by Chinese Academy of Sciences Strategic Priority Research Program (XDB03010303), the Natural Science Foundation of China (41672090 and 41472074), the Tibetan Large Deposit Metallogenic Specialization (1212011221073), and International Postdoctoral Exchange Fellowship Program of China to Mingjian Cao.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 9825, Beijing, 100029, China

    MingJian Cao, KeZhang Qin, GuangMing Li & JunXing Zhao

  2. John de Laeter Center/TIGeR/Applied Geology, Curtin University, Perth, WA, 6945, Australia

    MingJian Cao, Noreen J. Evans & Brent I.A. McInnes

  3. CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China

    KeZhang Qin, GuangMing Li & JinXiang Li

  4. Key Laboratory of Continental Collision and Plateau Uplift, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China

    JinXiang Li

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  1. MingJian Cao
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Correspondence to MingJian Cao.

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Cao, M., Qin, K., Li, G. et al. Oxidation state inherited from the magma source and implications for mineralization: Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous granitoids, Central Lhasa subterrane, Tibet. Miner Deposita 53, 299–309 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00126-017-0739-3

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