Sulfur and lead isotope geochemical characteristics of Pb-Zn deposits in the Khau Loc zone, northeastern Vietnam, and their significance

In northeastern Vietnam, the Khau Loc zone is considered to have high potential for lead-zinc mineralization. The lead isotope data for 18 galena samples and 18 ones of delta S-34 isotope data (including galena and pyrite samples) were collected from lead-zinc ore deposits in some areas in the Khau Loc zone, including Phia Dam, Khuoi Man, Ban Lin, Lung Dam, and Ta Pan. These were employed to investigate the sulfur and lead isotope geochemical characteristics of Pb-Zn deposits and their significance in this study. The samples were analyzed using the LA-ICP-MS to show that the Pb isotopic ratios of Pb-206/Pb-204, Pb-207/Pb-204, and Pb-208/Pb-204 in the galena samples range from 17.8908 to 18.6012, 15.5794 to 16.1025, 38.4420 to 39.2118, with the average values of 18.296, 15.749, and 38.812, respectively. The pyrite and galena samples had the delta S-34 isotope, ranging from 9.0 to 15.106. The sulfur isotope systematics implies that most of the lead-zinc ore formations originated from marine sedimentary evaporation deposits and magmatic intrusion-volcanic eruption sources rich in silica. The distribution of lead isotopic ratios had a well-defined cluster for each deposit, indicating the formation of lead-zinc deposits and lower crust and orogen trends. In addition, these findings of lead isotopic ratios and delta S-34 isotopes proved that the Khau Loc zone is an activated structure with continuous growth in continental crust thickness during the early Proterozoic and Cenozoic periods. Furthermore, the study results also presented the evolution of material sources involved in the formation of lead-zinc ores in the Khau Loc zone.