Shapinggou: the largest Climax-type porphyry Mo deposit in China

Abstract

Shapinggou porphyry Mo deposit is the largest Climax-type Mo deposit in China and probably also in the world, with total proven Mo reserves of over 2.2 million tonnes at an average grade of 0.17%. It is located in the western Dabie Mountains, along the eastern extension of the East Qinling Mo mineralization belt. Similar to the majority of Mo deposits in the Qinling Mo belt, it is located north of the Triassic suture between the north and south China blocks. The orebody is mainly hosted in Cretaceous high-K granitic porphyry and explosive breccia, with potassic, silicification, and sericite-pyrite alterations. Fluorite is common in Shapinggou, indicating high-F content. The porphyry is closely associated with a large quartz syenite intrusion. Re–Os dating of molybdenite yielded an isochron age of 111.1 ± 1.2 Ma for the mineralization. Zircon U–Pb ages are 111.7 ± 0.8 Ma and 111.9 ± 0.6  Ma for the granitic porphyry and quartz syenite, respectively. Shapinggou is similar to the well-known Climax and Henderson Mo deposits in terms of geochemical characteristics and alterations, etc. We propose that Mo-rich ore-forming materials accumulated underneath the Shapinggou region during the convergence of the North and South China blocks, whereas the final mineralization was triggered by asthenosphere upwelling induced by Pacific Plate subduction.

Keywords:

• Shapinggou
• porphyry Mo deposit
• molybdenite
• Re–Os
• zircon
• Qinling Mo belt
• Climax-type

Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to Professor Y.F. Chang for stimulating discussions and to B.Y. Cheng, X.H. Li, X.D. Zhou, and Y. Cheng from the 313 Geological Team for their assistance in the field.

Funding

The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos 41090374, 41121002) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX1-YW-15, KZCX2-YW-QN509).