Geology and genesis of the Qi191 granite-hosted gold deposit in the southern margin of the North China Craton: constraints from SIMS zircon U–Pb, sericite 40 Ar– 39 Ar, in-situ trace elements, and in-situ S–Pb isotopes

The Qi191 Au deposit is a newly discovered granite-hosted Au deposit in the Qiyugou Au orefield, located in the southern margin of the North China Craton (NCC). Gold ore bodies are hosted by both the Qi191 hornblende monzogranite and the Taihua Complex and are composed of disseminations and sparse veins. K-feldspar, quartz-sericite, and sericite-chlorite alteration formed outward from the center to the periphery of the mineralized granite. Principal ore minerals include galena, pyrite, and chalcopyrite, with minor sphalerite, hematite, pyrrhotite, gold, famatinite, and hessite. The Qi191 Au deposit formed over four successive stages of hydrothermal mineralization: a quartz stage (I), a quartz-pyrite-galena stage (II), an economic quartz-calcite-galena-pyrite stage (III), and a quartz-calcite stage (IV). The Qi191 hornblende monzogranite yields a SIMS zircon U–Pb age of 131.3 ± 1.0 Ma. Hydrothermal sericite yields a plateau 40Ar–39Ar age of 132.9 ± 1.4 Ma, which is consistent with the zircon U–Pb age, suggesting that the Qi191 Au deposit is generically related to the hornblende monzogranite. Trace element contents and S isotopic compositions of sulfides indicate that metals and S entered the hydrothermal fluid as pulses. The equilibrium temperature of S and the isotopic compositions of S–Pb reflect a magmatic source. Gold mainly precipitated as native gold in a relatively acidic and reducing environment. This work suggests that further exploration for magmatic hydrothermal gold deposits in the Qiyugou and more widely in the southern margin of the NCC should target hornblende monzogranites such as the Qi191 and Qi189 granitoids.