Metal sources for the polymetallic Ni-Mo-PGE mineralization in the black shales of the Lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation, South China

•TOC, trace element and PGE are identified in the Niutitang Formation in Nayong.•Positive correlations of enriched elements are found in ores, but not in black shale.•PGE of ores may involve the hydrothermal process and differ from that of black shale.•Multiple sources might have contributed to the Ni-Mo-PGE mineralization.

Total organic carbon content (TOC), trace element and platinum-group element (PGE) concentrations were determined in the black shales of the Lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation in the Nayong area, Guizhou Province, South China, in order to study the polymetallic Ni-Mo-PGE mineralization. The results demonstrate that numerous elements are enriched in the polymetallic ores compared to those of the nearby black shale, particularly Ni, Mo, Zn, TOC and total PGE, which can reach up to 7.03 wt.%, 8.49 wt.%, 11.7 wt.%, 11.5 wt.% and 943 ppb, respectively. The elemental enrichment distribution patterns are similar to those in the Zunyi and Zhangjiajie areas except that the Nayong location is exceptionally enriched in Zn. Whereas positive correlations are observed between the ore elements of the polymetallic ores, no such correlations are observed in the black shale. These positively correlated metallic elements are classified into three groups: Co-Ni-Cu-PGE, Zn-Cd-Pb and Mo-Tl-TOC. The geological and geochemical features of these elements suggest that Proterozoic and Early Palaeozoic mafic and ultramafic rocks, dolomites and/or Pb-Zn deposits of the Neoproterozoic Dengying Formation and seawater could be the principal sources for Co-Ni-Cu-PGE, Zn-Cd-Pb, and Mo-Tl-TOC, respectively. Furthermore, the chondrite-normalized patterns of PGEs with Pd/Pt, Pd/Ir and Pt/Ir indicate that PGE enrichment of the polymetallic ores is most likely related to hydrothermal processes associated with the mafic rocks. In contrast, PGE enrichment in the black shale resembles that of the marine oil shale with terrigenous and seawater contributions. Our investigations of TOC, trace elements and PGE geochemistry suggest that multiple sources along with submarine hydrothermal and biological contributions might be responsible for the formation of the polymetallic Ni-Mo-PGE mineralization in the black shales of the Lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation across southern China.