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A Preliminary Discussion on Large Igneous Provinces and Associated Ore Deposits

XIAO Long1, PIRAJNO Franco2, HE Qi1   

  1. 1.Faculty of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China;2.Geological Survey of Western Australia, 100 Plain Street, East Perth WA 6004, Australia
  • Received:2007-06-20 Revised:2007-06-20 Online:2007-06-20 Published:2007-06-20

Abstract: Large igneous provinces (LIPs) are grouped into mafic (MLIPs) and silicic (SLIPs), based on their dominant components, mafic or silicic volcanic and intrusive rocks, respectively. The formation of these LIPs requires extremely high heat flow from mantle, which results in extensive melting of mantle, subcontinental lithospheric mantle and lower crust. The typically massive magmatism of LIPs also results in extensive energy and materials exchange thereby causing the formation of a range of important ore systems. MLIPs and SLIPs have different magma sources, compositions, temperatures, pressures, fluids and oxygen fugacities, and experience distinct magmatic evolutionary histories. MLIPs tend to form magmatic Cr-Cu-Ni-PGE sulfide and V-Ti-Fe oxide deposits, some hydrothermal Cu-Pb-Zn-Au-Ag deposits and distal epithermal systems. SLIPs, on the other hand, tend to form metasomatic and/or hydrothermal Cu-Pb-Zn-Au-Ag, W-Sn, U-Th-REE, As-Sb and low-sulfidation epithermal ore systems. Detailed studies of LIPs and associated ore deposits will enable better constrain the metallogenic and ore genesis models, which in turn will help in the discovery of giant ore deposits.