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Hongtoushan, Hongqishan, Bizigou, Zhanghugou, Xibeishan, Dongnanshan, Shujigou, Dahuanggou |
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Liaoning, China |
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Cu Zn Au Ag
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Super Porphyry Cu and Au
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IOCG Deposits - 70 papers
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All papers now Open Access.
Available as Full Text for direct download or on request. |
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The Hongtoushan Archaean Cu-Zn Volcanic hosted Massive Sulphide (VHMS) deposit is located in Liaoning Province, north-eastern China, (#Location: 41° 59' 47"N, 124° 30' 57"E).
Hongtoushan is the largest of the eight Archaean volcanic hosted massive sulphide Cu-Zn deposits in the Hunbei district, distributed over an arcuate belt of some 60 x 10 km. The others include: Hongqishan, Bizigou, Zhanghugou, Xibeishan, Dongnanshan, Shujigou and Dahuanggou. All of the deposits are found in the same stratigraphic position.
The Hongtoushan deposit lies within the Hunbei granite-greenstone belt, on the southern margin of Tieling-Qingyuan uplift and northern side of the Hunhe fracture zone on the northen margin of the North China Craton, adjacent to the Central Asian Orogenic Zone. It is hosted by the Hongtoushan Formation of the Archaean Qingyuan Group. The Qingyuan Group is divided into the Jinfengling Formation which is dominated by amphibolites with intercalations of biotite gneisses and quartz-feldspar gneisses, while the overlying Hongtoushan Formation contains more biotite gneisses and quartz-feldspar gneisses characterised by the presence of garnet, sillimanite and anthophyllite.
The Hongtoushan Formation is composed of biotite-plagioclase- and amphibole-plagioclase-gneisses, with felsic gneiss and magnetite quartzite intercalations. The ores and host sequence were subjected to underwent three phases of deformation and metamorphosed at 3.0 to 2.9 Ga to upper amphibolite facies at temperatures between 600 and 650°C.
The ore assemblage comprises pyrite (50%), pyrrhotite (20 to 30%), chalcopyrite (1 to 10%), sphalerite (1 to 15%) with minor galena, cubanite and chalcocite. The prograde metamorphism has obliterated almost all the original textures in the ores, and produced a metamorphic imprint, principally formed during peak and post-peak metamorphism. Sulphide remobilisation has taken place on various scales, and almost all the sulphide and gangue minerals have been affected by intense shearing. The ore occurs as irregular massive accumulations, chimneys, breccias, veins, concordant bands and as disseminations.
More than 30 high grade oreshoots occur within the main massive sulphide orebodies, ranging from 2 to 30 m long, 0.1 to 1.5 m wide, and 2 to 30 m in down dip extent. Most are parallel or sub-parallel to the strike of the massive sulphide ore layers with only a few being developed in metamorphic rocks in the immediate vicinity of the sulphide orebodies. Grades within these shoots average 11% Cu, 1.74 g/t Au and 235 g/t Ag, representing an upgrading of 4 to 5x that in the normal massive sulphides.
Within the ore shoots, pyrite is characterised by cataclastic flow, while pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite and sphalerite exhibit strong plasticity. Hydrothermal alteration associated with the oreshoots is dominated by undeformed hornblende, actinolite, epidote, clinozoisite, biotite, muscovite, albite, carbonate and quartz.
The deposit has been mined since the early 1960's. Remaining reserves quoted in 2004 were ~26 Mt @ 1.72% Cu, 3.04% Zn containing 0.47 Mt of Cu, 0.69 Mt Zn, 20 t Au, 100 t Ag. Around 30% of the original ore had been mined at that stage.
The most recent source geological information used to prepare this decription was dated: 2006.
This description is a summary from published sources, the chief of which are listed below.
© Copyright Porter GeoConsultancy Pty Ltd. Unauthorised copying, reproduction, storage or dissemination prohibited.
Hongtoushan
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Gu, L., Zheng, Y., Tang, X., Khin Zaw, Della-Pasque, F., Wu, C., Tian, Z., Lu, J., Ni, P., Li, X., Yang, F. and Wang, X., 2006 - Copper, gold and silver enrichment in ore mylonites within massive sulphide orebodies at Hongtoushan VHMS: in Ore Geology Reviews v.30, pp. 1-29.
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Sun Haitian 1992 - A general review of volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits in China : in Ore Geology Reviews v7 pp 43-71
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