Geochemical Characteristics and Significance of Major Elements, Trace Elements and REE in Mineralized Altered Rocks of Large-Scale Tsagaan Suvarga Cu-Mo Porphyry Deposit in Mongolia

The alteration types of the large-scale Tsagaan Suvarga Cu-Mo porphyry deposit mostly comprise stockwork silicification, argillization, quartz-sericite alteration, K-silicate alteration, and propylitization. The mineralized and altered zones from hydrothermal metallogenic center to the outside successively are Cu-bearing stockwork silicification zone, Cubearing argillized zone, Cu-Mo-bearing quartz-sericite alteration zone, Cu-Mo-bearing K-silicate alteration zone, and propylitization zone. The K-silicate alteration occurred in the early phase, quartz-sericite alteration in the medium phase, and argillization and carbonatization (calcite) in the later phase. Ore-bearing-altered rocks are significantly controlled by the structure and fissure zones of different scales, and NE- and NW-trending fissure zones could probably be the migration pathways of the porphyry hydrothermal system. Results in this study indicated that the less the concentrations of REE, LREE, and HREE and the more the extensive fractionation between LREE and HREE, the closer it is to the center circulatory hydrothermal ore-forming and the more extensive silicification. The exponential relationship between the fractionation of LREE and HREE and the intensity of silicification and K-silicate alteration was found in the Cu-Mo deposit studied. The negative Eu anomaly, normal Eu, positive Eu anomaly and obviously positive Eu anomaly are coincident with the enhancement of Na2O and K2O concentrations gradually, which indicated that Eu anomaly would be significantly controlled by the alkaline metasomatism of the circulatory hydrothermal ore-forming system. Therefore, such characteristics as the positive Eu anomaly, the obvious fractionation between LREE and HREE and their related special alteration lithofacies are suggested to be metallogenic prognostic and exploration indications for Tsagaan Suvarga-style porphyry Cu-Mo deposits in Mongolia and China.