Nature, source, and evolution of the ore-forming fluids in the Dunbasitao gold deposit, East Junggar, China: Constraints from geology, fluid inclusions, and C-H-O isotopes

The origin of CO2-dominated fluids in orogenic gold deposits is usually mired in controversy. The Dunbasitao gold deposit is the largest among several gold deposits along the Armantai suture zone, East Junggar, China. Orebodies are hosted in volcano-sedimentary rocks of the Lower Carboniferous Jiangbasitao Formation and porphyritic quartz diorite and are controlled by shear zones. Based on the cross-cutting relationship of veins, the hydrothermal process can be divided into the early, middle, and late stages and the gold only occurred in the middle stage. Seven types of fluid inclusions (FIs) were identified in the Dunbasitao deposit: Type-1 FIs (LH2O + LCO2 or LH2O + LCO2 + VCO2) that homogenized to H2O phase or show critical homogenization; Type-2 FIs (LH2O + LCO2 or LH2O + LCO2 + VCO2) that homogenized to CO2 phase; CO2-dominated Type-3 FIs (LCO2 or LCO2 + VCO2); Two-phase aqueous Type-4 FIs (LH2O + VH2O) that homogenized to liquid phase; Type-5 FIs are composed of three phases (LH2O + VH2O + Solid), which homogenized to liquid phase; Type-6 and Type-7 FIs refers to FIs composed of a single liquid or vapor H2O phase, respectively. Microthermometry and laser Raman spectroscopy (LRS) analyses show that the initial ore-forming fluids in the early stage were moderate-Th (326–342 °C), low salinity (2.4 to 4.7 wt% NaCl equiv), and homogenous H2O−CO2−NaCl liquid fluids, containing 13–33 mol% CO2 and a small amount of CH4, H2S, and N2. The calculated δ18OH2O (V-SMOW) values are 7.5–8.5 ‰, δ18DH2O (V-SMOW) values range from −100 to −96 ‰, and δ13Cfluid (PDB) range from −3.8 to −2.5 ‰. In the middle stage, two typical immiscible fluid inclusion assemblages (FIA.18 and FIA. 27) composed of both Type-1 and Type-2 FIs were measured. The salinity of FIA.18 is 3.3 wt% NaCl equiv. and Th is 320 °C. For FIA.27, the salinity is 2.2 wt% NaCl equiv. and Th is 298 °C. The salinities of Type-4 FIAs vary from 5.9 to 14.4 wt% NaCl equiv., significantly higher than Type-1 and Type-2 FIs (1.7 to 3.5 wt% NaCl equiv). The salinities of three isolated Type-5 FIs (halite-bearing) range from 30.3 to 32.9 wt% NaCl equiv. and Th vary from 257 to 277 °C. These facts indicate extreme unmixing between carbonic and aqueous fluids in the middle stage, which led to gold precipitation. The Type-3 FIs represent the salt-free, H2O-lost, CO2 end-member composition, whilst the Type-5 FIs and high-salinity Type-4 FIs represent the highly saline aqueous end-member composition. Late-stage fluids are initially liquid, very low-salinity (1.4 to 2.6 wt% NaCl equiv), and low-Th (176–233 °C) aqueous fluids. Two immiscible carbonic FIAs from the middle stage yield a trapping pressure (Pt) of 86.9–133.9 MPa. Considering the rapid pressure fluctuations during fluid immiscibility, using hydrostatic or lithostatic pressure alone cannot get the real mineralization depth, Therefore, we use the lithostatic pressure for the Pt maximum and hydrostatic pressure for the Pt minimum and calculated a mineralization depth of 5.3–8.9 km, which doesn't represent the change but uncertainty for depth. Combining the characteristics of ore-forming fluids with the hydrothermal alteration and mineral compositions of ores, the Dunbasitao gold deposit is determined as a mesozonal orogenic gold deposit and there is considered to be prospecting potential in the deep. © 2024 Elsevier B.V.