Oxidized sulfur-rich arc magmas formed porphyry Cu deposits by 1.88 Ga

Xuyang Meng (), Jackie M. Kleinsasser, Jeremy P. Richards, Simon R. Tapster, Pedro J. Jugo, Adam C. Simon, Daniel J. Kontak, Laurence Robb, Grant M. Bybee, Jeffrey H. Marsh and Richard A. Stern
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Xuyang Meng: Laurentian University
Jackie M. Kleinsasser: University of Michigan
Jeremy P. Richards: Laurentian University
Simon R. Tapster: British Geological Survey
Pedro J. Jugo: Laurentian University
Adam C. Simon: University of Michigan
Daniel J. Kontak: Laurentian University
Laurence Robb: University of Oxford
Grant M. Bybee: University of Witwatersrand
Jeffrey H. Marsh: Laurentian University
Richard A. Stern: University of Alberta

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Most known porphyry Cu deposits formed in the Phanerozoic and are exclusively associated with moderately oxidized, sulfur-rich, hydrous arc-related magmas derived from partial melting of the asthenospheric mantle metasomatized by slab-derived fluids. Yet, whether similar metallogenic processes also operated in the Precambrian remains obscure. Here we address the issue by investigating the origin, fO2, and S contents of calc-alkaline plutonic rocks associated with the Haib porphyry Cu deposit in the Paleoproterozoic Richtersveld Magmatic Arc (southern Namibia), an interpreted mature island-arc setting. We show that the ca. 1886–1881 Ma ore-forming magmas, originated from a mantle-dominated source with minor crustal contributions, were relatively oxidized (1‒2 log units above the fayalite-magnetite-quartz redox buffer) and sulfur-rich. These results indicate that moderately oxidized, sulfur-rich arc magma associated with porphyry Cu mineralization already existed in the late Paleoproterozoic, probably as a result of recycling of sulfate-rich seawater or sediments from the subducted oceanic lithosphere at that time.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22349-z

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