Abstract:
The Akexike Fe-Au deposit on the northern margin of the Junggar Basin occurs in the contact zone between volcanic rocks and tuffs of the Nanmingshui Formation. The orebodies are podiform, veined, and lenticular in form. The deposit has expereinced silicification, sericitization, chloritization, pyritization and carbonatization. Field evidence and petrographic analysis indicate two periods of metallogenesis: the volcanic-sedimentary period associated with the development of Fe mineralization and the hydrothermal period associated with Au mineralization. Liquid- and a few CO
2- rich inclusions characterize the volcanic-sedimentary period, whereas CO
2- and carbon (CH
4 and C
4H
6)- rich inclusions characterize the hydrothermal period. Volcanic-sedimentary period had NaCl-H
2O-CO
2 fluids with moderate temperature (major T
h of 180-320 ℃), low salinity (mainly 6-10 wt% NaCl
eq), and modereate to low density (0.59-0.98 g/cm
3). Hydrothermal period has NaCl-H
2O-CO
2-CH
4 fluids with moderate temperature (major T
h of 220-320℃), low salinity (mainly 2-10 wt% NaCl
eq), and moderate to low density (0.55-1.03 g/cm
3). Stable isotope analysis of quartz yielded values of -129.9‰ to -97.9‰ for
δD, 7.9‰ to 12.3‰ for
δ18O
SMOW, and -2.6‰ to 4.4‰ for
δ18O
fluid, indicating that the ore-forming fluids were magmatic fluids mixed with seawater.
δD,
δ18O
SMOW, and
δ18O
fluid values of the hydrothermal period are -129.8‰--102.6‰, 11.2‰-16.1‰, and 3.1‰-7.4‰, respectively, indicating that the ore-forming fluids were metamorphic water mixed with deeply circulated meteoric water. Combined with geological characteristics and fluids composition, the authors hold that Au mineralization of hydrothermal period was closely associated with CO
2-CH
4 fluids.