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Gold-Bearing Rodingites of the Agardag Ultramafic Massif (South Tuva, Russia) and Problems of Their Genesis

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Abstract—

The limited literature data on gold-bearing albite–pyroxene rodingites are summarized for the Agardag ultramafic massif in southern Tuva. These data are supplemented by new mineralogical, geochemical, thermobarogeochemical, and isotopic–geochemical results in order to reveal the physicochemical mineral formation conditions and sources of ore matter and fluids on gold deposition in rodingites. Rodingites and associated schistose nephritoids are near-fault metasomatites and are confined to a latitudinal tectonic zone in antigorite serpentinites. They formed in two stages. Stage I minerals (pyroxene, albite, etc.) are rodingites and stage II minerals (Na-bearing actinolite, albite, etc.) are nephritoids and veinlets that intersect rodingites. Disseminated sulfides of the Cu–S series (chalcocite, digenite, etc.) and Au minerals (tetra-auricupride and electrum) were deposited during both stages. The temperature regime (500–250°C) and low amount of CO2 in fluid (\({{{\text{X}}}_{{{\text{C}}{{{\text{O}}}_{{\text{2}}}}}}}\) = 0.017–0.025) correspond to the formation conditions of typical bimetasomatic rodingites. The degree of oxidation of gas components in fluids CO2/(CO2 + Σreduced gases) increases from rodingites (0.189) to nephritoids (0.299) and antigorite serpentinites (0.738). The O isotopic composition of silicates and calculated O isotopic composition of the fluid during antigorite serpentinization (5.8 to 7.6‰ δ18Оfl and –66 to –69‰ δDfl) correspond to juvenile and magmatic water in contrast to metamorphic water during nephritization and rodingitization (6 to 9.9‰ δ18Оfl and –39 to –46‰ δDfl) with involvement of heavy oxygen that was subjected to the sedimentary cycle. It is suggested that the magmatic ore-bearing fluid (7.3–7.6 wt % NaCl-equiv) separated from gabbroic melts. The oxidized fluid was modified to a reduced fluid during interaction with ultramafic rocks. The mafic and ultramafic rocks were the source of Na, REE, Au, Ag, Cu, and Ni. Deformations with the formation of veins and filling of veinlets are favorable for a high local gold concentration.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are grateful to the discoverers of the Agardag occurrence A.I. Kudryavtseva and V.I. Kudryavtsev for shared collection of rock and ore samples, as well as unpublished materials.

Funding

This study was supported by the State Contract of IGG UB RAS, IGM SB RAS, and IEM RAS (project nos. АААА-А18-118052590028-9, № 0330-2016-0001, and АААА-А18-118020590151-3) and the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project no. 16-05-00407a).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geology and Geochemistry, Uralian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 620016, Yekaterinburg, Russia

    V. V. Murzin

  2. Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090, Novosibirsk, Russia

    G. A. Palyanova

  3. Korzhinsky Institute of Experimental Mineralogy, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142432, Chernogolovka, Russia

    D. A. Varlamov

  4. Institute of Geology, Komi Science Center, Uralian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 167982, Syktyvkar, Russia

    S. N. Shanina

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Murzin, V.V., Palyanova, G.A., Varlamov, D.A. et al. Gold-Bearing Rodingites of the Agardag Ultramafic Massif (South Tuva, Russia) and Problems of Their Genesis. Geol. Ore Deposits 62, 204–224 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1134/S107570152002004X

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