Significance of quartz REE geochemistry, Shihu gold deposit, western Hebei Province, North China, using LA-ICP-MS

Rare earth element (REE) geochemistry on monomineral has been widely used in various fields of geosciences to reveal the origin of ore-forming materials and fluid. Quartz are ubiquitous mineral in the Shihu gold deposit that is situated in central shear zone of mesocenozoic Fuping metamorphic core complex in the middle-northern part of Taihang Mountains. Gold-bearing quartz veins are their most important industrial orebodies. Rare earth element abundances in quartz from the Shihu gold mine, as determined by laser ablation-indutively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analysis, are shown to be sensitive to identify barren quartz and mineralized quartz. Amounts of REE concentrations in barren quartz and mineralized quartz are 97 × 10−9 and 85 × 10−9, respectively. The average (La/Yb)N and (La/Sm)N ratios for the barren quartz are 0.25 and 0.13, and the ratios for mineralized quartz are 0.28 and 0.19, respectively. There is a pronounced positive correlation between (La/Yb)N and (La/Sm)N ratios. There is no obvious correlation between REE characteristics and sampling sites. The mineralized quartz show the most pronounced negative Ce anomalies, whereas weak negative Ce anomalies are typical of barren quartz vein. A negative Eu anomaly becomes more significant in mineralized quartz than barren quartz. δCe have a broadly positive correlation with δEu. Y/Ho ratio of barren quartz and mineralized quartz are ranging from 2.14–28.75, and from 1.28–9.92, respectively. The REE characteristics of quartz indicate that the ore-forming fluids of the gold deposit were derived from the deep fluid and its formation was dually controlled by Precambrian metamorphic basement and Mesozoic granitoids. The results significantly enhance the usefulness of quartz in tracing the sources of ore-forming fluid to discuss the genesis of the gold deposit, and as an indicator mineral in mineral exploration in Taihang mountain region.