Petrologic Reconstruction of the Tieshan Magma Plumbing System: Implications for the Genesis of Magmatic-Hydrothermal Ore Deposits within Originally Water-Poor Magmatic Systems

Abstract Most genetic models for magmatic-hydrothermal ore deposits are based on the prerequisite that the parental magmas associated with mineralization are enriched in water (> ∼4 wt %). However, it has been recognized that a number of magmatic-hydrothermal ore deposits also formed within tectono-magmatic settings that produce initially water-poor magmas such as Climax-type porphyry deposits. Here, we present a detailed reconstruction of the Tieshan magma plumbing system related to skarn-porphyry Cu–Fe–Au mineralization in the Edong district, in which primitive magmas typically show water-poor features. Applications of multiple thermodynamic calibrations on various magmatic units from the Tieshan and Tonglushan deposits provide a wealth of information regarding the structure and evolution of the transcrustal magmatic system. Petrographic observations and clinopyroxene-liquid thermobarometry calculations indicate that the Tieshan magmatic-hydrothermal system was fed by a deep crustal magma reservoir. An accurate picture of the evolution of H2O within the magma plumbing system is presented using the plagioclase-liquid hygrometer in combination with the amphibole hygrometer. Three critical stages during the evolution of water within the plumbing system have been recognized, associated with H2O contents of 0·8–1·7 wt %, 2·1–2·8 wt % and 3·2–4·6 wt %, respectively. The first enrichment of water in the magmas can be attributed to the separation and transfer of evolved melts from the deep magma reservoir to the shallow crust. Continuous cooling and solidification of the shallow magma body gave rise to the second enrichment of H2O in residual melts, leading to magmas that were fertile for the formation of ore deposits. The detailed chemical evolution of the magma plumbing system was investigated using mineral trace element compositions in combination with the partition coefficients predicted by the lattice strain model. The earliest equilibrium melts are characterized by high Sr contents (the average = 658 ± 64 ppm), suggesting that high Sr/Y signatures were likely derived from their magma sources or fractionation at deeper levels in initially water-poor environments. Variations of some particular geochemical fingerprints in equilibrium melts such as, Dy/Dy* and Eu/Eu*, also provide fundamental information on the evolution of the magma plumbing system. Our study confirms the critical role of a deep crustal magma reservoir on the formation of magmatic-hydrothermal ore deposits. The fertility of magmas with respect to ore deposit formation was enhanced by the extraction and transfer of evolved magmas from the deep reservoir to shallower levels, particularly due to the enrichment of magmatic water contents. In addition, the presence of a deep magma reservoir also sustains the incremental growth of shallow magma chambers, which provide ore-forming fluids.