Abstract. Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide (VMS) deposits represent a major source of base, precious and other metals of economic and industrial importance. As in other mineral systems, progressive exhaustion of the shallowest and most easily accessible deposits is leading to increasingly complex exploration. In this context vectors to ore play a vital role. The Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) is an outstanding VMS district located in the SW Iberian Peninsula, which represents the main mining area in Spain and one of the main zones of base metal production in Europe. But the work on vectors to ore in the IPB is far from systematic or complete. In this work we have performed a detailed study of the main vectors to ore related to mineral zoning and whole rock geochemistry that are currently used in the exploration of VMS systems to a representative volcanic rock hosted replacive VMS deposit located in the northern IPB, the Aguas Teñidas deposit. Results have been compared to other deposits in the IPB and in other VMS districts. The investigated vectors include: mineralogical zoning, host sequence characterization and mineralized unit identification based on whole rock geochemistry, the study of the characteristics and behaviour of whole rock geochemical anomalies around the ore (e.g. alteration-related compositional changes, characteristics and extent of geochemical halos around the deposit), with definition of threshold values for the mineralization-related indicative elements, and application of portable XRF analysis to the detection of the previous vectors. In the footwall, a concentric cone-shaped hydrothermal alteration bearing the stockwork passes laterally, from core to edge, from quartz (only locally), to chlorite, sericite–chlorite, and sericite alteration zones. The hydrothermal alteration is also found in the hanging wall despite its thrusted character: a proximal sericite alteration zone is followed by a more distal albite one, which is described here for the first time in the IPB. Whole rock major elements show an increase in alteration indexes (e.g. AI, CCPI) towards the mineralization, with a general SiO₂ enrichment, FeO enrichment in the central portion of the system, K₂O and Na₂O leaching towards the outside areas, and a less systematic MgO behaviour. Copper, Pb and Zn produce proximal anomalies around mineralized areas, with the more mobile Sb, Tl and Ba generating wider halos. Whereas Sb and Tl halos form around all mineralized areas, Ba anomalies are restricted to areas around the massive sulphide body. Our results show that proposed vectors, or adaptations designed to overcome p-XRF limitations, can be confidently used by analysing unprepared hand specimens, including the external rough curved surface of drill cores. The data presented in this work are not only applicable to VMS exploration in the IPB, but on a broader scale they will also contribute to improve our general understating of vectors to ore in replacive-type VMS deposits.

中文翻译：

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在北部伊比利亚黄铁矿带的置换VMS矿床中找矿的载体：矿物分区，整个岩石地球化学和便携式XRF的使用

摘要。火山成块硫化物（VMS）沉积物是贱金属，贵重金属和其他具有经济和工业重要性的金属的主要来源。与其他矿物系统一样，最浅，最容易接近的矿床逐渐枯竭，导致勘探工作日趋复杂。在这种情况下，矿石的载体起着至关重要的作用。伊比利亚黄铁矿带（IPB）是位于西南伊比利亚半岛的杰出VMS区，代表西班牙的主要矿区和欧洲贱金属生产的主要地区之一。但是，在IPB中进行矿石选矿的工作远非系统化或不完整。在这项工作中，我们对与矿物分区和整个岩石地球化学有关的矿石的主要载体进行了详细研究，这些载体目前正在VMS系统的勘探中使用，用于位于北部IPB阿瓜斯的代表性火山岩替代VMS矿床特尼达斯（Teñidas）存款。将结果与IPB和其他VMS区中的其他沉积物进行了比较。研究的载体包括：基于全岩石地球化学的矿物学分区，宿主序列表征和矿化单元识别，矿石周围全岩石地球化学异常的特征和行为的研究（例如与变化有关的成分变化，地球化学晕的特征和程度）围绕矿床），定义了与矿化有关的指示元素的阈值，便携式XRF分析在检测先前载体中的应用 在下盘壁上，一个带有储层的同心锥形热液蚀变从​​岩心到边缘，从石英（仅局部）横向穿过绿泥石，绢云母-绿泥石和绢云母蚀变带。尽管具有热推力特征，但在吊壁中也发现了热液蚀变：一个近端的绢云母蚀变带后面是一个更远的钠长石蚀变带，这在IPB中首次进行了描述。整个岩石的主要元素显示出对矿化的蚀变指数（例如，AI，CCPI）增加，且具有一般的SiO 从石英（仅在本地）到绿泥石，绢云母-绿泥石和绢云母蚀变带。尽管具有热推力特征，但在吊壁中也发现了热液蚀变：一个近端的绢云母蚀变带后面是一个更远的钠长石蚀变带，这在IPB中首次进行了描述。整个岩石的主要元素显示出对矿化的蚀变指数（例如，AI，CCPI）增加，且具有一般的SiO 从石英（仅在本地）到绿泥石，绢云母-绿泥石和绢云母蚀变带。尽管具有热推力特征，但在吊壁中也发现了热液蚀变：一个近端的绢云母蚀变带后面是一个更远的钠长石蚀变带，这在IPB中首次进行了描述。整个岩石的主要元素显示出对矿化的蚀变指数（例如，AI，CCPI）增加，且具有一般的SiO₂富集，系统中心部分的FeO富集，K ₂ O和Na ₂O浸出到外部区域，MgO行为系统性较差。铜，铅和锌在矿化区域附近产生近端异常，移动性更大的锑，锡和钡会产生较宽的光晕。尽管Sb和T1晕形成在所有矿化区域附近，但Ba异常仅限于块状硫化物体周围的区域。我们的结果表明，通过分析未准备的手部样本（包括钻芯的外部粗糙曲面），可以放心地使用建议的向量或旨在克服p-XRF限制的改编。这项工作中提供的数据不仅适用于IPB中的VMS勘探，而且在更广泛的范围内，还将有助于改善我们对替代型VMS矿床中载体的总体低估。