Geology and geochemistry of the adjacent Changkeng gold and Fuwang silver deposits, Guangdong Province, South China

The Changkeng Au and Fuwang Ag deposits represent an economically significant and distinct member of the Au–Ag deposit association in China. The two deposits are immediately adjacent, but the Au and Ag orebodies separated from each other. Ores in the Au deposit, located at the upper stratigraphic section and in the southern parts of the orefield, contain low Ag contents (<11 ppm); the Ag orebodies, in the lower stratigraphic section, are Au-poor (<0.2 ppm). Changkeng is hosted in brecciated cherts and jasperoidal quartz and is characterized by disseminated ore minerals. Fuwang, hosted in the Lower Carboniferous Zimenqiao group bioclastic limestone, has vein and veinlet mineralization associated with alteration comprised of quartz, carbonate, sericite, and sulfides. Homogenization temperatures of fluid inclusions from quartz veinlets in the Changkeng and Fuwang deposits are in the range of 210±80 °C and 230±50 °C, respectively. Salinities of fluid inclusions from the two deposits range from 1.6 to 7.3 wt.% and 1.6 to 2.6 wt.% equiv. NaCl, respectively. The δDH2O, δ18OH2O, δ13CCO2 and 3He/4He values of the fluid inclusions from the Changkeng deposit range from −80‰ to −30‰, −7.8‰ to −3.0‰, −16.6‰ to −17.0‰ and 0.0100 to 0.0054 Ra, respectively. The δDH2O, δ18OH2O, δ13CCO2 and 3He/4He values of fluid inclusions from the Fuwang deposit range from −59‰ to −45‰, −0.9‰ to 4.1‰, −6.7‰ to −0.6‰ and 0.5930 to 0.8357 Ra, respectively. The δDH2O, δ18OH2O, δ13CCO2 and 3He/4He values of the fluid inclusions suggest the ore fluids of the Changkeng Au-ore come from the meteoric water and the ore fluids of the Fuwang Ag-ore are derived from mixing of magmatic water and meteoric water. The two deposits also show different Pb-isotopic signatures. The Changkeng deposit has Pb isotope ratios (206Pb/204Pb: 18.580 to 19.251, 207Pb/204Pb: 15.672 to 15.801, 208Pb/204Pb: 38.700 to 39.104) similar to those (206Pb/204Pb: 18.578 to 19.433, 207Pb/204Pb: 15.640 to 15.775, 208Pb/204Pb: 38.925 to 39.920) of its host rocks and different from those (206Pb/204Pb: 18.820 to 18.891, 207Pb/204Pb: 15.848 to 15.914, 208Pb/204Pb: 39.579 to 39.786) of the Fuwang deposit. The different signatures indicate different sources of ore-forming material. Rb–Sr isochron age (68±6 Ma) and 40Ar–39Ar age (64.3±0.1 Ma) of the ore-related quartz veins from the Ag deposit indicate that the Fuwang deposit formed during the Cenozoic Himalayan tectonomagmatic event. Crosscutting relationships suggests that Au-ore predates Ag-ore. The adjacent Changkeng and Fuwang deposits could, however, represent a single evolved hydrothermal system. The ore fluids initially deposited Au in the brecciated siliceous rocks, and then mixing with the magmatic water resulted in Ag deposition within fracture zones in the limestone. The deposits are alternatively the product of the superposition of two different geological events. Age evidence for the Fuwang deposit, together with the Xiqiaoshan Tertiary volcanic-hosted Ag deposit in the same area, indicates that the Pacific Coastal Volcanic Belt in the South China Fold Belt has greater potential for Himalayan precious metal mineralization than previous realized.