Ore genesis of the Huangshaping skarn W-Mo-Pb-Zn deposit, southern Hunan Province, China: insights from in situ LA-MC-ICP-MS sulphur isotopic compositions

The Huangshaping deposit is unique in southern Hunan Province, China, as it hosts economic reserves of both W-Mo and Pb-Zn mineralization, which are usually associated with granite and granodiorite porphyry in this area, respectively. This study reports results of in situ LA-MC-ICP-MS sulphur isotopic composition analyses conducted on sulphides from both W-Mo and Pb-Zn mineralization from the Huangshaping deposit with the aim of constraining ore genesis for this deposit. All samples from the proximal W-Mo mineralization have relatively uniform and high delta S-34 values (8.7 parts per thousand to 16.0 parts per thousand), close to the range for carbonate sediments in this deposit (13.8 parts per thousand to 18.1 parts per thousand). These patterns suggest that the granite porphyry in this deposit was the sulphur source for W-Mo mineralization, and that the assimilation of evaporite from the carbonate sediments led to the high delta S-34 values of the granite porphyry. Sulphides from the Pb-Zn mineralization have delta S-34 values (2.2 parts per thousand to 10.3 parts per thousand) lower than those of the W-Mo mineralization, and generally increase in this paragenetic order, with the lowest delta S-34 values being similar to those of the basement (3.8 parts per thousand to 7.7 parts per thousand). These patterns indicate that the original sulphur for the Pb-Zn mineralization was most likely derived from the basement, with input of sulphur from the carbonate sediments increasing during the evolution of ore-forming fluids. On the basis of the measured sulphur isotopic compositions, it is suggested that the ore-forming materials for the W-Mo mineralization were derived from the granite porphyry, whereas ore-forming materials extracted from the basement dominated the Pb-Zn mineralization.