Geology, Geochemistry, and Geochronology of the Fenghuangshan Skarn‐type Copper Deposit in the Tongling Ore Cluster, Anhui Province, East China

Abstract:The Fenghuangshan skarn‐type Cu deposit, Tongling Ore Cluster, Anhui Province, is an important component in the Middle—Lower Yangtze River ore‐forming belt. To better understand magmatism and its relationship to mineralization, we investigated geochemical features, ore‐forming fluids, and geochronology of the Xinwuli intrusion and the related Fenghuangshan Cu deposit. Lithogeochemical characteristics show that the Xinwuli quartz monzodiorite is formed by mixing magma derived from upper mantle alkaline basalt that has been contaminated by crust materials. C, H and O isotopes indicate that ore‐forming fluids mainly come from the magma, with minor amounts of meteoric fluids involved at the late stage. S and Pb isotopic components indicate that ore‐forming materials are derived from the mantle. Molybdenite Re—Os isotopic dating yields Re—Os model ages ranging from 139.1±2.4 Ma to 142.0±2.2 Ma, with an isochronal age of 141.1±1.4 Ma, which is consistent with sensitive, high‐resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) zircon U—Pb ages of quartz monzodiorite and granodiorite in the mining area. Dating analysis yields ages from 136.0±2.0 Ma to 143.0±2.4 Ma for the quartz monzodiorite (a weighted average of 139.4±1.2 Ma) and ages from 136.7±2.0 Ma to 145.3±2.4 Ma for granodiorite (a weighted average of 141.0±1.1 Ma).