The Daduhe gold field at the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau: He, Ar, S, O, and H isotopic data and their metallogenic implications

The Daduhe gold field comprises several shear-zone-controlled Tertiary lode gold deposits distributed at the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. The deposits are hosted in a Precambrian granite-greenstone terrane within the Yangtze Craton. The gold mineralization occurs mainly as auriferous quartz veins with minor sulphide minerals. Fluid inclusions in pyrite have 3He/4He ratios of 0.16 to 0.86 Ra, whereas their 40Ar/36Ar ratios range from 298 to 3288, indicating a mixing of fluids of mantle and crust origins. The δ34S values of pyrite are of 0.7-4.2‰ (n = 12), suggesting a mantle source or leaching from the mafic country rocks. δ18O values calculated from hydrothermal quartz are between − 1.5‰ and + 6.0‰ and δD values of the fluids in the fluid inclusions in quartz are − 39‰ and − 108‰. These ranges demonstrate a mixing of magmatic/metamorphic and meteoric fluids. The noble gas isotopic data, along with the stable isotopic data suggest that the ore-forming fluids have a dominantly crustal source with a significant mantle component.