Neoproterozoic Zn-Pb mineralization in the world-class Sichuan-Yunnan-Guizhou Zn-Pb triangle, southwest China: Insights from apatite geochemistry and in situ sericite Rb-Sr geochronology of the Daxiao deposit

The Sichuan-Yunnan-Guizhou (SYG) zinc-lead triangle, located in southwestern China, is an important producer of zinc, lead, silver, and critical raw metals such as germanium. In this region, most Zn-Pb deposits hosted in the later Ediacaran to Permian carbonate rocks are believed to be Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) deposits, while the origin of the Zn-Pb deposits found in the Mesoproterozoic basement remains controversial. To address this gap, our study conducted in situ LA-ICP-MS/MS muscovite Rb-Sr dating and apatite major, trace and Sr isotope analysis on the Daxiao deposit hosted in the Mesoproterozoic basement. The in situ Rb-Sr dating of sericite yielded a Neoproterozoic age of 766 +/- 31.3 Ma, challenging the previously proposed Indosinian orogen-related MVT model. Instead, it links the formation of this deposit to an extensional setting that coincided with the breakup of the Rodinia. We identified a specific type of apatite, recognized as ore-stage apatite based on texture and analyzed composition, within the deposit. The ore-stage apatite exhibits high Sr-87/Sr-86 ratios (ranging from 0.78384 to 0.81082), similar to those of the Archean basement rocks. Based on our study and previous data, we proposed a new genetic model for the Daxiao Zn-Pb deposit, and possibly other basement-hosted Zn-Pb deposits in the SYG triangle. During the Neoproterozoic (similar to 766 Ma), the study area experienced an extensional setting characterized by crustal thinning and magmatic activity resulting from the breakup of the Rodinia. Basinal brines infiltrated the deep Archean basement along faults and were heated to high temperatures by magma and/or high geothermal gradients. These hot brines continuously extracted Pb, Zn from the Archean basement and migrated upward into the Mesoproterozoic host rock, where they precipitated lead-zinc ores in favorable structural positions. The Daxiao Zn-Pb deposit, along with the coexisting sediment-hosted stratabound copper (SSC) deposits, basement-hosted gold and uranium deposits, and late sulfide mineralization in the iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposits, suggests a Neoproterozoic regional mineralization event associated with the breakup of Rodinia. Our study also highlights the potential of using in situ sericite Rb-Sr dating to precisely determine the age of other hydrothermal ore deposits, such as Carlin-type Au deposits, which have long been a subject of uncertainty.