Geology and S-Pb isotope geochemistry of the Hatu gold deposit in West Junggar, NW China: Insights into ore genesis and metal source

The Hatu gold deposit is the largest historical gold producer of the West Junggar, western China, with an Au reserve of about 62 t. The orebodies were controlled by NE-, EW-, and NW-trending subsidiary faults associated with the Anqi fault. This deposit exhibits characteristics typical of a fault-controlled lode system, and the orebodies consist of auriferous quartz veins and altered wall rocks within Early Carboniferous volcano-sedimentary rocks. Three stages of mineralization have been identified in the Hatu gold deposit: the early pyrite-albite-quartz stage, the middle polymetallic sulfides-ankerite-quartz stage, and late quartz-calcite stage. The sulfur isotopic values of pyrite and arsenopyrite vary in a narrow range from − 0.8‰ to 1.3‰ and an average of 0.4‰, the near-zero δ³⁴S values implicate the thorough homogenization of the sulfur isotopes during the metamorphic dehydration of the Early Carboniferous volcano-sedimentary rocks. Lead isotopic results of pyrite and arsenopyrite (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 17.889–18.447, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.492–15.571, ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 37.802–38.113) are clustered between orogenic and mantle/upper crust lines, indicating that the lead was mainly sourced from the hostrocks within the Early Carboniferous Tailegula Formation. The characteristics of S and Pb isotopes suggest that the ore-forming metals of the Hatu orogenic gold deposit are of metamorphogenic origin, associated with the continental collision between the Yili-Kazakhstan and Siberian plates during the Late Carboniferous.