Magmatic evolution and formation of the giant Jiama porphyry-skarn deposit in southern Tibet

The post-collisional Gangdese metallogenic belt with over 45 Mt Cu has attracted worldwide attention. We report the whole-rock geochemistry, zircon SIMS U-Pb geochronology, and in situ zircon Hf-O isotopic compositions of the Jiama deposit in the Gangdese belt. The intermediate to the felsic intrusive rocks are characterized by high SiO2 (64.8 to 78.8 wt. %) and Al2O3 (12.1 to 16.3 wt. %) contents, high Sr/Y ratios (43-74), showing the geochemical characteristics of adakites. Zircons from four intrusives yield U-Pb ages of 16.19 +/- 0.20 Ma, 15.67 +/- 0.32 Ma, 15.44 +/- 0.16 Ma, and 14.90 +/- 0.16 Ma, respectively, which brackets magmatic event related to mineralization in 1.3 Myr (16.19 to 14.90 Ma). Magmatic zircons have intermediate delta 18O (+5.21 to + 7.18 parts per thousand), and depleted Hf isotopic values (epsilon Hf(t) = 1.8 to 9.4). In combination of whole rock, plagioclase, and zircon geochemistry, we suggest the main ore-forming magma was derived from the remelting of the newly formed lower crust. During the whole journey of magma ascending from lower crust to the surface, no significant injection or mixing of mafic melt from different source has been observed. This is supported by three lines of evidence: 1) There is no clear reverse zonation in plagioclase, 2) the major and trace element compositions of continuous lithologies from diorite to granite shows no significant mixing, 3) there is no significant change of the zircon O and Hf isotope among different intrusions. Our study suggests that the formation of the giant porphyry deposits such as Jiama in post-collisional setting likely form in a short-term (<1.5 Myr) without significant magma mixing during magmatic evolution from diorite to granite.

Automated summary

The study suggests that the main ore-forming magma of the Jiama deposit was derived from the remelting of the newly formed lower crust, and there was no significant mixing of magma during the ascent from the lower crust to the surface. This finding is important for understanding the formation process of giant porphyry deposits in post-collisional settings.